Darwin California Map

About Darwin, California

Darwin is a locality in Inyo County, California, United States. It is a small community with a population of 61. The population density is 21.2 people per km². Darwin is located at 36.2680°N, 117.5917°W. It observes the Pacific Time (America/Los_Angeles) timezone. ZIP code: 93522.

Darwin clings to the arid expanse where the Lucky Jim Wash, a sinuous scar across the desert floor, dictates the sparse patterns of life. It lies 44.8 miles north of Ridgecrest, CA (from Ridgecrest, CA: bearing 6°T), and is situated 44.4 miles north-northeast of China Lake Acres. The land here is a study in muted earth tones, ochre and sienna blending under a vast, unyielding sky that often burns a fierce, cerulean blue. Low, rounded hills, baked by relentless sun, rise and fall like sleeping giants, their slopes etched with the dry, intricate calligraphy of erosion. The air itself carries a fine dust, a constant reminder of the land's parched nature, yet it can, in the fleeting moments of dawn or dusk, transform the landscape into a canvas of molten gold and deep violet. The distant, formidable ramparts of the Sierra Nevada, impossibly grand, stand as a hazy, blue-gray backdrop to this immediate, sun-scoured world, while the nearby Mohave Ground Squirrel Area of Critical Environmental Concern hums with its own quiet, resilient existence. This particular Darwin, a settlement born of mineral ambition, still whispers of its mining past. The echoes of pickaxe on ore and the rumble of ore carts are now carried only by the wind that skims across the basin, a faint tremor in the otherwise profound silence. The local economy, once fueled by the promise of subterranean riches, now finds its sustenance in a more modest, enduring rhythm, tied to the land and the hardy souls who choose to call this stark beauty home. The nearby Darwin Falls, a surprising cascade of silver against the parched rock, offers a rare and precious spectacle, a testament to the hidden water that sustains life in such a dry climate. The valley of Crystal Canyon, a short distance away, holds its own geological secrets, a further layer to the ancient story of this region, where the tenacity of life is a constant, quiet marvel.

About This Darwin Map Page

This page provides an embedded street and satellite map of Darwin, California — switch between views using the small square in the bottom left-hand corner of the map. Coordinates: 36.267997, -117.591735. Live weather conditions are sourced directly from the National Weather Service, with current observations and a 7-day forecast also powered by Open-Meteo. Real-time local news and world news feeds keep the page current, while a Wikipedia summary or an editorially written description provides background on Darwin and Inyo County.

Detailed location data for Darwin includes the ZIP code (93522), telephone area code (760), county seat of Inyo County (Independence), and school district assignment (Lone Pine Unified School District). These are among the most commonly searched location details for any US city or town.

Location data is drawn from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) and cross-verified against 2020 US Census records by coordinate proximity — ensuring the correct Darwin is identified even where the name is shared across multiple counties or states. Population figures are sourced from the 2020 US Census.