Johannesburg, California Virtual Travel

Johannesburg

Begin your virtual tour of Johannesburg, California by clicking on any of the above entry points, and follow roads or trails through a network of linked images.

Johannesburg is nestled against the side of the Rand Mountains in the Mojave Desert of southern California. Mining in the surrounding mountains brought settlers to the area, including also the nearby towns of Randsburg and Red Mountain. Unlike many mining towns, the streets of Johannesburg are laid out in a grid. U.S. Highway 395 passes through at the bottom of the hill, with the rest of the streets reaching up from there.

Gold was discovered near Johannesburg in 1895, lying on the ground. The Yellow Aster Mine was staked and by 1933, $25,000,000 in gold had been removed. The Randsburg-railway was built in 1897 to reach the mines, which had its terminus at Johannesburg and never actually reached Randsburg.

The population of Johannesburg is 176, as of the year 2000.