A village named California in the Nizhny Novgorod Region is likely to be removed from maps according to a decision of a committee of local lawmakers, a legislature spokesman said, RIA Novosti reports.

 

The decision to end the existence of the village was taken "because there is now not a single person living in the village," the spokesman said, adding that the regional legislature will reach a final decision on the issue on July 31.

 

According to one version, the village was named by a landowner who had been impressed by a visit to North America in the 19th century. According to another account, the village had been called Kaliforovka, and the landowner renamed it after Russia sold Alaska to the U.S.

 

The village has been deserted since 1992.