My personal favorite spot that we used for content production was an abandoned factory that had been a dynamite factory in WWII, and was later converted to a fertilizer factory.

It had lots of industrial-looking machines and cast steelwork, and all sorts of other interesting textures and backgrounds. We did a number of shoots there. It was next to a residential area, but had been left undeveloped because there were toxic waste issues (ammonia residues of the fertilizer seeped into the ground.)

Whenever we were shooting a multiperson scene, we brought one or two extra people who just stood as lookouts, and when the neighborhood people came wandering by they'd just say "Um, there's a photoshoot going on inside, would you mind staying outside for the next hour or so?" Occasionally, someone would say "Oh, can I watch" and the lookout would just say "Well, actually, it's gay porn" and then whatever interest they had would suddenly go away. But people were nice, and several of the locals told us the history of the space.

Unfortunately, they tore it down and I guess cleaned up the toxic waste problem -- it was very valuable land, next to the delta of the San Francisco Bay -- and I suspect it's full of janky tract homes now.

I'm sure there are more places like that in Sacramento area where we are now, but I haven't had the time to go looking.