North Shore, California, Riverside County: Known for its eerie silence and intriguing past, North Shore is a ghost town located in Riverside County, California. Once a vibrant community, it now stands as an illustration to the changing fortunes of small towns in America. Below is detailed information about the town.
County: Riverside County
Zip Code: 92254
Latitude / Longitude: 33.5100° N, 115.9189° W
Elevation: -69 feet
Time Zone: Pacific Time Zone (PT)
Established: 1950s
Disestablished: Not officially disestablished, but largely abandoned by the 1980s
Comments: North Shore was initially developed as a resort community on the northeastern shore of the Salton Sea. It was a thriving area in the 1950s and 1960s, attracting tourists and new residents.
However, an ecological disaster due to rising salinity and pollution in the Salton Sea led to its decline. North Shore is a census-designated place in southeastern Riverside County, so named because of its location along the northeast shore of the Salton Sea.
It was once a popular vacation spot before the ever-increasing salinity and pollution of the Salton Sea shut down the tourist trade. The town traces its beginnings to 1958 when developers Ray Ryan and Trav Rogers purchased the land on which the town would sit and began to sell individual parcels in 1960.
Remains: The area still features some abandoned structures, including dilapidated buildings, remnants of the North Shore Beach and Yacht Club, and deserted homes, which offer a glimpse into its past and poignantly remind the town of its once-promising future.
North Shore is notable as the home of the Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge. Established in 1930 by a presidential proclamation and with an original area of over 35,000 acres (140 km2), only about 2,200 manageable acres (8.9 km2) remain due to flooding caused by the Salton Sea.
A proposed system of dikes that will help control the increasing salinity of the Salton Sea will also serve to stop further encroachment on the refuge.
Current Status: North Shore remains sparsely populated, with a small community still residing in the area. Due to its significant population decrease and the abandonment of many structures, it is considered a ghost town. The population was 3,477 at the 2010 census.
Remarks: North Shore is a stark example of how environmental changes can impact human settlements. Its proximity to the Salton Sea, once a popular recreational destination, is now more of a liability than an asset.
Despite its decline, North Shore continues to attract visitors interested in exploring its ghostly atmosphere and the story it tells about human ambition and nature’s unpredictability. One building is particularly noteworthy.
The North Shore Beach and Yacht Club, an Albert Frey design, opened in 1962 and was inactive use until 1984; rising water levels destroyed the jetty in 1981, thereby making it impossible for boats to dock there.
As recently as the early 2000s, it was possible to enter the lobby prior to its being boarded up, although stairs leading to the second floor had been removed prior to its abandonment. The lobby was once littered with hotel receipts from the neighboring North Shore Motel (razed in 2008) dating back to the club’s last days.
The yacht club has been restored under a $3.35 million grant and since 2011 is open to the public as a Community Center and historical landmark. The Salton Sea History Museum was relocated to Mecca, California Ghost Townlifornia in February 2012.
