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Update
Caliente has a population of 1,019. Telephone numbers in Caliente follow the format (661) 867-xxxx and the ZIP Code is 93518. It is located south of a small community named Walker Basin in the same telephone exchange area.
for a cattle rancher and settler named Gabriel Allen. Later, the name
, coming from hot springs in the area, was proposed and may have been used. This name conflicted with the community of the same name in Sonoma County. With the railroad's arrival in 1875, the shortened name Caliente was adopted.
The Caliente post office opened in 1875, closed in 1993, and was re-established in 1890.
Bealville is a district about one mile (1.6 km) to the south toward SR58 and along Caliente-Bodfish Road. It is named for Edward Fitzgerald Beale who served in the US Army, and also as Superintendent of Indian Affairs for California and Nevada. He was also appointed as US Surveyor General of California. Beale established a home in this area about 1855. The location is commemorated by a State Historic Landmark plaque along Caliente-Bodfish Road.