Abandoned Towns

Ghost town record · San Mateo County, California

Purissima

Ghost town in California, United States.

Record

About Purissima

Purissima is a ghost town in southwestern San Mateo County, California, United States, near the junction of State Route 1 and Verde Road. Purísima means "purest" in Spanish and is most commonly used in Spanish to refer to La Purísima Concepción of the Virgin Mary.

This is a site record: what public sources say about Purissima, gathered in one place. We haven't written a full guide yet, so history, current access and photos are still to come. Treat the status as unknown until a guide confirms it.

Map

Where Purissima is

USGS topographic map around Purissima
USGS topographic map, The National Map (public domain). The pin marks the coordinates in the record; old townsites are often a little off.

Historic maps

19 historic USGS maps cover Purissima

Topographic sheets from the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection (public domain), oldest first. Older sheets often show the camp, mines and roads while the place was alive. The downloads are large map scans; USGS topoView shows them in the browser.

Showing the first 16.

Directions

Getting there

Google Maps directionsApple MapsOpenStreetMap

Before you go

  • Many ghost town sites are on private land, active mining claims or tribal land. Check land status and ask permission.
  • Roads to old townsites are often unmaintained dirt. Map apps may route over closed or impassable tracks.
  • Removing artifacts from public land is illegal under federal and most state laws.

Nearby

Other sites near Purissima

Straight-line distance to other mapped sites in our California index.

Sources

Sources

  1. Wikipedia, "Purissima, California": coordinates and summary.
  2. Wikidata Q7261270.
  3. USGS 3D Elevation Program, elevation at the coordinates.
  4. USGS The National Map and Historical Topographic Map Collection (public domain).