City of California, Kentucky

California is located at the southeastern edge of Campbell County. The settlement dates to the early 1800’s. However, the city’s history is somewhat unclear due to lost records in continuous floods caused by the city’s position on the Ohio River. One of the city’s earliest records was a property deed, dating to April 22, 1851, in which 10 acres was sold by James M. Young to John H. Nelson and E.P. Dameron.

The town’s name is also a matter of speculation. Up the river from California was a Steamboat landing named Oregon. The names California and Oregon perhaps date back to the 1849 gold rush.

Although the exact details of the city’s history are vague, we do know that California had it’s own post office by 1852 with John H. Nelson as postmaster. The post office had daily mail delivery by water. California also had a two-story schoolhouse at the time and was described in newspaper accounts as a lively community with a population of approximately 50 residents.

State records declare that California was incorporated on February 7th, 1874.