The 5 mile square area surrounding the town accounts for the balance of the population.

The original location of the town of Mountain Ranch also has a historical landmark.

[5] Further economic losses took place in the 1970s, when local saw mills shuttered, and also in 1983 when the Calaveras Cement Co.

More than 350 homes[5] along the outskirts burned, but firefighters and local ranchers were able to save most of the downtown.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 41.2 square miles (107 km2), of which 99.86% is land, and 0.14% is water.

There were 960 housing units at an average density of 23.3 per square mile (9.0/km2), of which 748 were occupied, 620 (82.9%) by the owners and 128 (17.1%) by renters.

[9] Federally, Mountain Ranch is in California's 4th congressional district, represented by Democrat Mike Thompson.