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Burchell

Ghost town · Merced County, California

Planada quadrangle, USGS topographic map (1918, 1:31,680)
Planada quadrangle, USGS topographic map (1918, 1:31,680) · U.S. Geological Survey, Historical Topographic Map Collection · Public domain

Burchell is a ghost town in Merced County, California. It is one of 13 former communities in Merced County on the federal names register. That ranks the county 23rd among the 58 California counties with a vanished settlement on record.

The U.S. Geological Survey lists Burchell as a historical populated place on the Planada topographic quadrangle: the name is no longer in official use for a community, whether the settlement was abandoned, absorbed into a neighbouring town or renamed. The recorded location is 37.2622° N, 120.2871° W.

Key facts

USGS quadranglePlanada
Elevation235 ft
Nearest living townPlanada, CA
Distance to it2.7 miles
GNIS feature ID1661967
Coordinates37.26216, -120.28713

Open the location on a map

What's there now

Burchell is no longer a community in its own right. The nearest living town is Planada, CA (population 3,524), about 2.7 miles away in a straight line, and the site sits at roughly 235 feet above sea level. Much of the land around former townsites is private; check access before you visit.

Nearby places

Questions

Where is Burchell?

Burchell is in Merced County, California, at 37.2622, -120.2871.

How many ghost towns are in Merced County?

Merced County, California has 13 ghost towns on record at Wayfarrow.

Sources and licences

Facts marked "approximately" carry an uncertain date in the source. Text on this page is generated from the sources above; no encyclopedia prose is copied. Last updated 2026-11-05.