# Gorda's $10 Gas Station

> Gorda, California's remote gas station charges $10.49 per gallon, a price that sustains its off-grid community.
- Title: Gorda's $10 Gas Station · Seattletimes | Shortify
- Summary: Gorda, California's remote gas station charges $10.49 per gallon, a price that sustains its off-grid community. Gorda, California's isolated gas station…
- Keywords: gorda, california, big sur, fuel station, unleaded gas, 10.49, remote community, solar power, electric vehicle, whale watchers cafe, news, local
- Source: Seattletimes — https://seattletimes.com/nation-world/10-a-gallon-at-this-gas-station-by-the-sea
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: gorda, california, big sur, fuel station, unleaded gas, 10.49, remote community, solar power, electric vehicle, whale watchers cafe, news, local
## Gorda's Remote Location
Gorda is a modest hamlet in Big Sur with no cell service, located 27 miles north of Hearst Castle on the Pacific Coast Highway.
## Gas Price Anomaly
A gallon of premium unleaded gas cost $9.999 at Gorda, the highest price many pumps display, with diesel being even more expensive.
## Price Adjustment
By the end of summer, the price increased to $10.49 after Vargas Flores updated the software to move the decimal point on gas pumps.
## Community Reliance
Gorda relies on tourism and its remote location, using generators that consume thousands of gallons of diesel monthly.
## Owner Background
Leonardo Vargas Flores, 61, began working at Gorda in 1997 after moving from Mexico and has managed the station since Sherwin Miller's death.
## Restaurant Shifts
Whale Watchers Cafe now serves fewer customers, with lunch menus offering expensive options like bacon cheeseburgers for $36.
## Tourist Tolerance
Visitors accept the high gas prices as part of the remote adventure, with some purchasing $60 worth of gas despite the cost.
## Solar Power Plans
Vargas Flores plans to install solar power, but the cost has risen to over $3 million, with backup generators still needed.
## Youth Perspective
Victoria Nuñez-Lazaro, 15, works at the cafe and worries about Gorda's 'old-timey vibe' but calls it 'like visiting grandma.'
## Community Resilience
Gorda's residents have weathered wildfires, landslides, and generator failures, maintaining operations with minimal external help.
## Future Price Projections
Vargas Flores expects gas prices to reach $12 or $14 in the future, though the station has an unused electric vehicle charging station.
## Key takeaway

Gorda, California's isolated gas station sells $10.49 gasoline to keep its off-grid community running.