Hell | |
|---|---|
  Hell | |
| Coordinates:33°41′27″N115°16′22″W / 33.69083°N 115.27278°W /33.69083; -115.27278 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  California |
| County | Riverside |
| Elevation | 758 ft (231 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (PST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (PDT) |
Hell is a location inRiverside County,California,United States, approximately 29 miles (47 km) west ofBlythe onInterstate 10.
As befitsits name to many people, Hell has a climate stereotypical of a hot desert (Köppen classification BWh). In the absence of a weather station at the site of the defunct town, nearbyDesert Center collects weather information.
| Climate data for Desert Center, California | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 85 (29) | 91 (33) | 102 (39) | 105 (41) | 111 (44) | 120 (49) | 118 (48) | 117 (47) | 117 (47) | 109 (43) | 93 (34) | 85 (29) | 120 (49) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 65 (18) | 69 (21) | 75 (24) | 82 (28) | 90 (32) | 100 (38) | 104 (40) | 103 (39) | 97 (36) | 86 (30) | 73 (23) | 65 (18) | 84.1 (28.9) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 45 (7) | 49 (9) | 54 (12) | 60 (16) | 68 (20) | 77 (25) | 83 (28) | 81 (27) | 75 (24) | 64 (18) | 53 (12) | 45 (7) | 62.8 (17.1) |
| Record low °F (°C) | 24 (−4) | 29 (−2) | 31 (−1) | 42 (6) | 45 (7) | 57 (14) | 64 (18) | 53 (12) | 56 (13) | 37 (3) | 35 (2) | 25 (−4) | 25 (−4) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 0.58 (15) | 0.53 (13) | 0.50 (13) | 0.08 (2.0) | 0.08 (2.0) | 0.06 (1.5) | 0.44 (11) | 0.82 (21) | 0.47 (12) | 0.24 (6.1) | 0.18 (4.6) | 0.43 (11) | 0.37 (9.4) |
| [citation needed] | |||||||||||||
Hell was founded by Charles Carr in 1954. In 1958 Carr, his wife, and their ten-year-old son Terry were the only inhabitants. Charles Carr served as the lone member of Hell's Chamber of Commerce.
Hell was abandoned in the late 1950s or early 1960s when it was isolated by the construction ofU.S. Route 60 andU.S. 70. What was left in the area was demolished and burned by the California State Division of Highways in late 1964 to make way for what would eventually becomeInterstate 10. Before its demise, Hell had a service station, a beer tavern, and a good supply of drinking water.[2]
Occasionally Hell was referenced in the press, typically in relation to the weather:
There were several roadside signs referencing Hell, including one nearIndio, California, which read, "100 miles of desert ahead--right through Hell".
In her book,Riverside County, California, Placenames: Their Origins and Their Stories, Jane Davies Gunther said that Hell "was consigned to oblivion when theCalifornia State Highway Department bought it, rather than make an interchange for it, thus making it impossible for anyone to go to Hell in Riverside County".[2]
A song entitled "Hell, Ca., Pop. 4" was featured on the 1990 albumBlackout in the Red Room byLove/Hate.
