Hell, California facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Hell
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 Hell, California
Location in California
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| Country |  United States |
| State |  California |
| County | Riverside |
| Elevation | 231 m (758 ft) |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (PST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (PDT) |
Hell is a small place in Riverside County, California, United States. It's about 29 miles west of Blythe, right near Interstate 10. It used to be a small community, but it's not there anymore.
A Really Hot Place
Hell was known for its very hot weather. It had a climate typical of a hot desert. This means it was usually sunny and dry, with very high temperatures.
The weather information below is from Desert Center, a nearby town. It gives you an idea of how hot it could get in Hell.
| 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) |
| Average precipitation 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) |
The Story of Hell
Hell was started in 1954 by a man named Charles Carr. In 1958, only Charles, his wife, and their ten-year-old son Terry lived there. Charles Carr was the only member of Hell's Chamber of Commerce, which is like a local business group.
Hell was left empty in the late 1950s or early 1960s. This happened because new roads, U.S. Route 60 and U.S. 70, were built around it. This made it hard to get to Hell.
The buildings in Hell were taken down and burned in late 1964. This was done by the California State Division of Highways. They needed the space for what would become Interstate 10. Before it was gone, Hell had a gas station, a place to buy beer, and good drinking water.
Hell in Pop Culture
People sometimes talked about Hell in the news, especially when it came to the weather.
- A writer named Art Ryon wrote in 1955 that it was 110 degrees in Los Angeles, but only 105 degrees in Hell.
- In 1958, The Los Angeles Times newspaper reported that Los Angeles was hotter than Hell. Los Angeles was 104 degrees, while Hell was 97 degrees.
- A news report once said it snowed in Hell. This made many people joke, "it was a cold day in Hell!"
- In 2015, a bridge on Interstate 10 collapsed about 9 miles from Hell. The Los Angeles Times reported that it was "not the pit of Hell, but it's close."
There were also signs on the side of the road that mentioned Hell. One sign near Indio, California, said, "100 miles of desert ahead--right through Hell."
A book by Jane Davies Gunther mentions that Hell was "consigned to oblivion." This means it was forgotten when the California State Highway Department bought the land. They bought it instead of building a road exit for it. This made it impossible for anyone to visit Hell in Riverside County.
A song called "Hell, Ca., Pop. 4" was on the 1990 album Blackout in the Red Room. It was by the band Love/Hate.
