Casa Loma, Santa Clara County, California

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Casa Loma, also known as Loma Chiquita, is a rural area of Santa Clara County covering over 5,500 acres with an unofficial population of 175. Both names are marginalized with Loma Chiquita appearing in the US Geological Survey's National Geographic Names Database as feature ID 227487.

Use of the name Casa Loma is supported by the existence of Casa Loma Volunteer Fire Association (CLVFA) and the Casa Loma/Loma Chiquita Road Maintenance District. The fire department has some level of official recognition and is dispatched by California Department of Forestry. The road maintenance entity appears to be an official Special District defined by the state Government Code. One tract within this area is named Twin Falls, the location of which has not been determined at this writing. Uvas Canyon County Park adjoins the area.

1 Proposed geographic definition
2 Other similar-named locales in California
3 Notes
4 External links

[edit] Proposed geographic definition

The area is comprised of canyons along the eastern face of the Santa Cruz Mountains between Hecker Pass and Loma Prieta summit. The area would cover the canyon communities along Casa Loma and Loma Chiquita Roads. A proposed northwest extent of the area is the US Geological Survey's Loma Chiquita feature at 37°06′18″N, 121°49′21″W. Loma Chiquita is shown to be 3,791 feet AMSL according to US Geological Survey figures. The southeast extent of the area, and possibly the lowest elevation, could be identified by the intersection of Uvas Road and Casa Loma Road at NAD83 coordinates 37°09′04″N, 121°44′50″W.

No ZIP Codes are included because there is no mail delivery in this area. At least some residents get mail at Redwood Estates Post Office, well north of the area. Literature says portions of Summit Road may be within the area.

The area is heavily vegetated chapparal. Both Casa Loma Road and Loma Chiquita Road are mostly unpaved. In winter, the clay soil makes the roads difficult. Creeks cross the roads in several places. In summer, they turn to a powdery dust. The heavy Manzanita and Poison Oak growth overhangs roads and pinstripes vehicles using them.

[edit] Other similar-named locales in California

There is a Casa Loma in Placer County, California near Dutch Flat with a ZIP code of 95704. There is a smaller locale also named Casa Loma in Riverside County near the community of Lakeview.

The name sounds similar to Costa Loma, the name of a group of wells in an active oil field along Oil Creek. The oil field is located in Santa Cruz County west of the intersection of State Route 9 and State Route 35. ^[1]