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BHistory
History · Alhambra

Alhambra’s post office opened in 1885, and 23% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 61% of U.S. towns · #94 of 847 in California. What drives it

Its Register listing is the House at 530 S. Marengo Avenue. Its Register listing is the House at 530 S. Marengo Avenue. Below: 10 old photos and papers, maps from 1888 on, and the census since 1890.

1885first post office
1on the National Register
23%homes built before 1940
10old photos & papers
35famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Alhambra’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Alhambra began

When was Alhambra founded?

1885

The Alhambra post office opened in 1885, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Shorb (1895), opened inside today’s city and later closed.

First census: 808 in 18902020 census: 82,868141 years

How historic is Alhambra?

B

More historic than 61% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

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

What drives Alhambra’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Alhambra is more historic than 61% of U.S. towns, #94 of 847 in California. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.

B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Alhambra’s overall grade.
Founding era1885, from the first post office: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 194023.0% of homes (±1.5) · typical CA town 3.4% · U.S. 8.4%B+National Register1 listing, 0.1 per 10,000 residents · typical CA town 0.0 · U.S. 2.4B
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 61%
NewerOlder
California towns of 2,500+ (847)Ahead of 89%

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 Alhambra’s 0.1 sits near the middle of its state (64% of California towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to B+. The pre-1940 share (±1.5 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 Alhambra’s past

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

On the map since 18967 editions of the USGS map, 1896 to 1981. Watch Alhambra change.Mapped building by building5 fire insurance maps, 1888 to 1912, drew every building in Alhambra.Lost villages1 post office opened and closed inside today’s Alhambra, and 3 old place names are still on the map.Famous sons and daughtersRonnie Bucknum, Dean Cundey and 33 more were born here.
★ What stands out · On the map

Alhambra on the map, 1896 to 1981

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

Alhambra on the 1896 USGS mapAlhambra on the 1900 USGS mapAlhambra on the 1924 USGS mapAlhambra on the 1953 USGS mapAlhambra on the 1966 USGS mapAlhambra on the 1972 USGS mapAlhambra on the 1981 USGS map1896Pasadena 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 Alhambra.

Every building

Alhambra, building by building, 1888–1912

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.

Alhambra fire insurance map, 1888, sheet 11888Sheet 1 of 1
Edition
Sheets
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and places now gone

Alhambra’s post office has been open since 1885. Another post office, Shorb, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Alhambra
1885–today
Shorb
1895–1909
18801950today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Ramona ParkShorbStoneman
Gone or out of use
Alhambra AirportairportMidwick Country ClublocaleSan Gabriel Valley Vineyardlocale

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

The story

How Alhambra came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Alhambra.

Read it all →

The San Gabriel Mission was founded nearby on September 8, 1771, as part of the Spanish conquest and occupation of Alta California. The land that would later become Alhambra was part of a 300,000-acre (120,000 ha) land grant given to Armane Gutter, a soldier from the Los Angeles Presidio. In 1820 Mexico won its independence from the Spanish crown and lands once ruled by them became part of the Mexican Republic. These lands then transferred into the hands of the United States following the defeat in the Mexican–American War. A wealthy developer, Benjamin Davis Wilson, purchased the land that would become Alhambra from his ward Victoria Reid. With the persuasion of his daughter, Ruth, his development was named the land after a book she was reading, Washington Irving's Tales of the Alhambra, which he was inspired to write by his extended visit to the Alhambra palace in Granada, Spain. Alh…

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Alhambra, 1885 to 1956

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1885Post officeThe Alhambra post office opens
  3. 1895Post officeThe Shorb post office opens
  4. 1896On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  5. 20th century
  6. 1909In the archiveAlhambra, Cal. from high-school, Dec. 24th, 1909
  7. 1909Post officeThe Shorb post office closes
  8. 1923In the archive"Glenn-Orr," William Meade Orr house, 500 North Vega Street
  9. 1927Born hereJames D. Watkins is born here
  10. 1936Born hereRonnie Bucknum is born here
  11. 1946Born hereDean Cundey is born here
  12. 1956Born hereMitch Vogel is born here
By decade

Alhambra, decade by decade

2 decades in the archive, from the 1900s to the 1920s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1900s–1920s10 items
Alhambra, Cal. from high-school, Dec. 24th, 19091909Alhambra, Cal. from high-school, Dec. 24th, 1909"Glenn-Orr," William Meade Orr house, 500 North Vega Street1923"Glenn-Orr," William Meade Orr house, 500 North Vega …Sorting various grades of wool from the fleeces, West Alhambra, Calif1923Sorting various grades of wool from the fleeces, West…Mixing wool and shoddy for cheap pad felt, West Alhambra, Calif1923Mixing wool and shoddy for cheap pad felt, West Alham…Neutralizing, final washing to remove acid, preparatory to drying, West Alhambra, Calif1923Neutralizing, final washing to remove acid, preparato…Die cutting staple patterns from felt for slipper manufacturing, West Alhambra, Calif1923Die cutting staple patterns from felt for slipper man…Making shoddy by tearing up woolen rags through picker machine, West Alhambra, Calif1923Making shoddy by tearing up woolen rags through picke…Dyeing bolts of felt run over through dye vats on reels, West Alhambra, Calif1923Dyeing bolts of felt run over through dye vats on ree…Wool passing through revolving dusters to shake out burnt vegetable matter, West Alhambra, Calif1923Wool passing through revolving dusters to shake out b…Drying wool. It is blown onto wire screens under glass roof, West Alhambra, Calif1923Drying wool. It is blown onto wire screens under glas…
1930s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Today6 recent
San Gabriel Valley CA 20240828 (103)2024San Gabriel Valley CA 20240828 (103)San Gabriel Valley CA 20240828 (102)2024San Gabriel Valley CA 20240828 (102)San Gabriel Valley CA 20240828 (101)2024San Gabriel Valley CA 20240828 (101)San Gabriel Valley CA 20240828 (100)2024San Gabriel Valley CA 20240828 (100)San Gabriel Valley CA 20240828 (10)2024San Gabriel Valley CA 20240828 (10)San Gabriel Valley CA 20240828 (1)2024San Gabriel Valley CA 20240828 (1)
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.

Alhambra, Cal. from high-school, Dec. 24th, 1909
Retake this viewAlhambra, Cal. from high-school, Dec. 24th, 1909, 1909

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

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

1 historic place in Alhambra

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
1
each building in a district counts
first listed
1979
House at 530 S. Marengo Avenue
House at 530 S. Marengo Avenue
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Bungalow1
Craftsman1
Arts and Crafts1
House at 530 S. Marengo AvenueBungalow

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

People over time

Alhambra, census by census

020,00040,00060,00080,0001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 85,804

Between 808 and 85,804 people in every census since 1890.

13 censuses, 1890–2020.

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

Famous people

35 famous people were born in Alhambra

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

See all →
Ronnie BucknumRacecar driver · b. 1936
Dean CundeyAmerican cinematographer · b. 1946
James D. WatkinsChief of U.S. Naval operations (1982–86), 6th U… · b. 1927
Mitch VogelAmerican former child actor · b. 1956
Andrew Eugene BellisarioAmerican Catholic Archbishop · b. 1956
Robert Lawson VaughtAmerican mathematician · b. 1926
Help out

Finish Alhambra’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
2 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewAlhambra, Cal. from high-school, Dec. 2…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

San Gabriel3 historic placesAMonterey ParkIts storyDLos Angeles284 historic placesASan Marino5 historic placesB+South Pasadena9 historic placesA−

Questions about Alhambra’s history

What year was Alhambra founded?

The Alhambra post office opened in 1885, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

How does Alhambra rank for history?

Alhambra is more historic than 61% of U.S. towns, #94 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.

What is on the National Register in Alhambra?

One place: the House at 530 S. Marengo Avenue (listed 1979).

How old are the homes in Alhambra?

23% of Alhambra’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.5 points), against a typical 3.4% for a California town; the median home was built in 1960.

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 (6), the Library of Congress (10), the National Register of Historic Places (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), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.