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C−History
History · Alamo

Alamo’s post office opened in 1852

More historic than 20% of U.S. towns · #477 of 847 in California. What drives it

Most of Alamo was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1978. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1897 on, and the census since 1960.

1852first post office
0on the National Register
3%homes built before 1940
2old photos & papers
4famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Alamo’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Alamo began

When was Alamo founded?

1852

The Alamo post office opened in 1852, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 1,791 in 19602020 census: 15,314174 years

How historic is Alamo?

C−

More historic than 20% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Alamo post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Alamo’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Alamo is more historic than 20% of U.S. towns, #477 of 847 in California. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Alamo’s overall grade.
Founding era1852, from the first post office: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 19403.0% of homes (±1.9) · typical CA town 3.4% · U.S. 8.4%C−National RegisterNo listings counted · typical CA town 0.0 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 20%
NewerOlder
California towns of 2,500+ (847)Ahead of 44%

Few California towns list much on the Register (a typical California town has 0.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Alamo’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (31% of California towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would still be C−. The pre-1940 share (±1.9 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.

Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Alamo’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 2 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18978 editions of the USGS map, 1897 to 1993. Watch Alamo change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Alamo’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Alamo’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo2 archive items have no date. Guess the decade.+2Retake an old viewHistoric American Buildings Survey Will…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Alamo on the map, 1897 to 1993

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Alamo. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Alamo on the 1897 USGS mapAlamo on the 1915 USGS mapAlamo on the 1947 USGS mapAlamo on the 1959 USGS mapAlamo on the 1968 USGS mapAlamo on the 1973 USGS mapAlamo on the 1980 USGS mapAlamo on the 1993 USGS map1897Concord sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Alamo.

The story

How Alamo came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Alamo.

Read it all →

Alamo was first inhabited by the Tatcan Indians over 5000 years ago. The Tatcan Indians, a Bay Miwok tribe closely connected to the Saclans of Walnut Creek, lived in Alamo in the eighteenth century.

After Mission San José was founded in 1797, its grazing area stretched throughout the San Ramon Valley. The Mexican land grant Rancho San Ramon was deeded to Mariano Castro and his uncle Bartolo Pacheco in 1833. It covered modern-day Danville and Alamo. Castro owned the northern half, which included Alamo.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Alamo, 1852 to 1997

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1852Post officeThe Alamo post office opens
  3. 1897On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  4. 20th century
  5. 1982Born hereMarcie Ward is born here
  6. 1989Born hereRyan Whalen is born here
  7. 1996Born hereVili Helu is born here
  8. 1997Born hereJT Marcinkowski is born here
By decade

Alamo, decade by decade

Date unknown2 to date
Historic American Buildings Survey Willis Foster, Photographer Northern California Writers' Project Original- February …Date?Historic American Buildings Survey Willis Foster, Pho…Henry Hotel, Mount Diablo Road & Highwat 21Date?Henry Hotel, Mount Diablo Road & Highwat 21
Today25 recent
Rancho Romero Elementary School2023Rancho Romero Elementary SchoolAlamo, CA 0022022Alamo, CA 002Alamo, CA 0012022Alamo, CA 0012022-03-28 13 33 04 View northwest and down from an airplane towards the cities of Walnut Creek, Lafayette and Alamo in…20222022-03-28 13 33 04 View northwest and down from an a…Las Trampas Peak from Oak Savanna on its slopes2021Las Trampas Peak from Oak Savanna on its slopesAerial view of Alamo Plaza Shopping Center, October 20202020Aerial view of Alamo Plaza Shopping Center, October 2…AlamoCaliforniabanner2017AlamoCaliforniabannerPumpkin and spider2016Pumpkin and spiderThe old barn where they put on Eugene O'Neill's plays2014The old barn where they put on Eugene O'Neill's playsThe hazy view from Eugene O'Neill's tao house2014The hazy view from Eugene O'Neill's tao houseAlamo MLK Jr. Celebration2014Alamo MLK Jr. CelebrationAlamo MLK Jr. Celebration2014Alamo MLK Jr. CelebrationAlamo MLK Jr. Celebration2014Alamo MLK Jr. CelebrationAlamo MLK Jr. Celebration2014Alamo MLK Jr. CelebrationAlamo MLK Jr. Celebration2014Alamo MLK Jr. CelebrationAlamo MLK Jr. Celebration2014Alamo MLK Jr. CelebrationAerial view of downtown2014Aerial view of downtownAerial view of Livorna Park2014Aerial view of Livorna ParkAerial view of Hap Magee Ranch Park showing childrens playground in the foreground, picnic area on the left and park ar…2014Aerial view of Hap Magee Ranch Park showing childrens…Aerial view of Andrew Young park2014Aerial view of Andrew Young parkAerial view of Alamo school during the annual hoedown celebration2014Aerial view of Alamo school during the annual hoedown…Oak Trees in Winter2009Oak Trees in WinterHorse Boarding2008Horse BoardingSouth Downtown2007South DowntownNorth Downtown2007North Downtown
Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Historic American Buildings Survey Willis Foster, Photographer Northern California Writers' Project Original- February …
Retake this viewHistoric American Buildings Survey Willis Foster, Photographer Northern California Writers' Project Original- February …

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Alamo’s page.

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Alamo, census by census

02,0004,0006,0008,00010,00012,00014,00016,0001960198020002020Peak: 15,626

Between 1,791 and 15,626 people in every census since 1960.

6 censuses, 1960–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Alamo’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

4 famous people were born in Alamo

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
J
JT MarcinkowskiAmerican soccer player · b. 1997
Ryan WhalenAmerican football player · b. 1989
V
Vili HeluAmerican rugby union player · b. 1996
M
Marcie WardAmerican soccer player · b. 1982
Places that used to be

Old corners

Alamo’s post office has been open since 1852.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Alamo OaksWalnut Heights

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Danville3 historic placesCWalnut Creek3 historic placesBCastle HillIts storyC−DiabloIts storyD−

Questions about Alamo’s history

What year was Alamo founded?

The Alamo post office opened in 1852, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

How does Alamo rank for history?

Alamo is more historic than 20% of U.S. towns, #477 of 847 in California. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

How old are the homes in Alamo?

3% of Alamo’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.9 points), against a typical 3.4% for a California town; the median home was built in 1978.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

From Wikimedia Commons (26), the Library of Congress (1), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.