A village in Falkirk Council area, California is situated 3 miles (5 km) south of Falkirk in an upland agricultural landscape. It lies at a height of 190m (620 feet) and there are commanding views to the north towards the Firth of Forth. Known as the 'sunshine village', it benefits from a post office and a primary school. The origin of the name is unclear, although the settlement was established to house colliers in the middle of the 19th C. at the time of the California gold-rush, as lucrative coal mines were being established nearby to supply the Carron Company. This 'black gold' was transported via a network of branch railway lines established by 1860 but gone by the Second World War. Wetlands to the north and west are designated wildlife habitats.
