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Kernville

Ghost town · Kern County, California

Isabella quadrangle, USGS topographic map (1943, 1:62,500)
Isabella quadrangle, USGS topographic map (1943, 1:62,500) · U.S. Geological Survey, Historical Topographic Map Collection · Public domain

Kernville is a ghost town in Kern County, California. It is one of 50 former communities in Kern County on the federal names register. That ranks the county 2nd among the 58 California counties with a vanished settlement on record.

The U.S. Geological Survey lists Kernville as a historical populated place on the Lake Isabella North 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 35.7141° N, 118.4368° W.

Key facts

USGS quadrangleLake Isabella North
Elevation2,573 ft
Nearest living townWofford Heights, CA
Distance to it2 miles
GNIS feature ID1670225
Coordinates35.71412, -118.43675

Open the location on a map

What's there now

Kernville is no longer a community in its own right. The nearest living town is Wofford Heights, CA (population 2,209), about 2 miles away in a straight line, and the site sits at roughly 2,573 feet above sea level. Much of the land around former townsites is private; check access before you visit.

Nearby places

Questions

Where is Kernville?

Kernville is in Kern County, California, at 35.7141, -118.4368.

How many ghost towns are in Kern County?

Kern County, California has 50 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.