| Hopeton | |
| Settlement Type: | Unincorporated community |
| Pushpin Map: | California#USA |
| Pushpin Label Position: | bottom |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in California |
| Pushpin Image: | California Locator Map with US.PNG |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | California |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Merced County |
| Coordinates: | 37.4917°N -120.5311°W |
| Elevation M: | 56 |
| Elevation Ft: | 184 |
Hopeton (formerly Forlorn Hope and, later, Hopetown) is an unincorporated community in Merced County, California. It is located 10.5miles north-northeast of Atwater, at an elevation of 184 feet (56 m).
Hopeton is located in the Merced River bottom west of Snelling. A church was present at the townsite as early as 1852, and by 1881 the town had a population of over 1000. The Hopeton School District survived until 1973.[1]
The first name of the place was Forlorn Hope, after a battle term. The Forlorn post office operated from 1854 to 1859, and from 1860 to 1861. The Hopeton post office operated from 1866 to 1894 and from 1911 to 1914.