Forbestown, California

For the city in Lake County formerly with this name, see Lakeport, California.

Forbestown
census-designated place
Shakespeare Mining & Milling Co, headframe and miners, ca. 1860
Shakespeare Mining & Milling Co, headframe and miners, ca. 1860
Location of Forbestown in Butte County, California.
Location of Forbestown in Butte County, California.
Forbestown is located in California
Forbestown
Forbestown
Location in California
Coordinates: 39°31′02″N 121°16′02″W / 39.51722°N 121.26722°W / 39.51722; -121.26722
Country United States
State California
CountyButte County
Area
[1]
 • Total6.280 sq mi (16.265 km2)
 • Land6.274 sq mi (16.250 km2)
 • Water0.006 sq mi (0.015 km2)  0.09%
Elevation
[2]
2,772 ft (845 m)
Population
 (2020)[3]
 • Total396
 • Density63/sq mi (24/km2)
Time zoneUTC-8 (Pacific (PST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-7 (PDT)
GNIS feature IDs1656023; 2612480
U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Forbestown, California, U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Forbestown, California

Forbestown (formerly, Boles Dry Diggins and Forbes Diggins) is a census-designated place[4] in Butte County, California.[2] It lies at an elevation of 2772 feet (845 m).[2] Its zip code is 95941 and its area code is 530. Forbestown had a population of 320 at the 2010 census.

Forbestown is named for B.F. Forbes, who opened a store there in 1850.[5] The post office was established in 1854, closed in 1925, and re-opened in 1936.[5]

Forbestown's heyday was the last half of the nineteenth century, when it was a large mining center.[6] By the late 1930s, it was nearly a ghost town.[6] The site has foundations and debris from its mining era.[6]

  1. ^ "2010 Census U.S. Gazetteer Files – Places – California". United States Census Bureau.
  2. ^ a b c U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Forbestown, California
  3. ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
  4. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Forbestown, California
  5. ^ a b Durham, David L. (1998). California's Geographic Names: A Gazetteer of Historic and Modern Names of the State. Clovis, Calif.: Word Dancer Press. p. 236. ISBN 1-884995-14-4.
  6. ^ a b c Miller, Donald C. (1978). Ghost Towns of California. Boulder, Colorado: Pruett Publishing Company. p. 65. ISBN 0871085178.