From September 16, 2023 until September 17, 2023
At California City - Volmerlaan, California, USA
Posted by Canton Fair Net
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/california-city-unbuilt-suburb
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Nat Mendelsohn dreamed of a city that would rival Los Angeles, in 320 square kilometers of Mojave desert paradise. The park was beautiful--though not native to the desert and artificially watered, naturally. Nat Mendelsohn had a dream. He envisioned a city in the Mojave Desert that would rival Los Angeles. It was a paradise of 320 square kilometers, with a park and a lake, but not one native to desert life.
On a map, it may seem that Mendelson's wish has come true. Hundreds of miles of named roads cut through the desert known as California City. They end in cul de sacs and look like a suburban community. California City is the third-largest city in California, and the 34th largest in America. On closer inspection, one can quickly see that something is missing: houses.
These streets are completely empty, there is no house, no grid of electricity, nothing. The empty roads are a ghost-grid of suburbania, waiting to be filled. From above, it almost looks like remnants of an ancient culture. Ritual lines are cut into the desert. This is similar to the Blythe Intaglios, another California desert phenomenon.