Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
More historic than 41% of U.S. towns · #211 of 847 in California. What drives it
Most of Antioch was built recently: 2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1985. 4 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 9 buildings between them. Below: maps from 1884 on and the census since 1870.
The Antioch post office opened in 1851, the earliest record of the town by name. Two smaller post offices, Marsh's Landing (1852) and Marsh (1912), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
More historic than 41% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Antioch is more historic than 41% of U.S. towns, #211 of 847 in California. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Antioch ranks #264 on History.
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 Antioch’s 0.9 sits above most of its state (75% of California towns have fewer) while its 11 historic buildings outnumber those of 76% of U.S. towns.
Newer cities are common at Antioch’s size: in the typical U.S. city of 100,000 or more, 5% of homes predate 1940.
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 →
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Antioch’s history is told.
Antioch’s post office has been open since 1851. Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
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.
1884Sheet 1 of 2Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
From Wikipedia’s history of Antioch.
Antioch is one of the oldest towns in the region. The town has been variously named East Antioch, Smith's Landing, and Marsh's Landing, prior to its current name.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention Antioch, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Antioch has a population of 2500 within its corporate limits, and is a city of the sixth class. It was first incorporated in 1872. Later it was disincorporated, but was again incorporated in 1890.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Coming to California, Father McClory spent five years in St. Dominic's Monastery in San Francisco and then came to Antioch to take charge of Holy Rosary Parish. The church was erected in 1905 and 1906, and the parish house was completed in 1924. Father McClory is doing good work in this locality and is well liked by his parshioners and by the general public at large, be they Catholics or Protestants. He heartily favors better civic conditions, and works for the social and moral uplift of the people of the community.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Most of my readers, I dare say, are aware that the name is often mentioned in the Bible, and some at least will recall that it was in the ancient city of Antioch the followers of the meek and lowly Nazarene were first called "Christians."^ Some may not know, however, that the ancient city of Antioch in Asia was named in honor of the tyrant king Antiochus, the arch-enemy of the Maccabean Jews. The following historical sketch will furnish such information as is now extant concerning our ancient namesake :
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Born hereAnthony C. Ferrante is born here
Born hereCarmen Dragon is born here
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
Born hereAimee Allison is born hereEvery edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Antioch. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Antioch.
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Grew from 700 people in 1870 to 115,291 in 2020, more than tenfold.
16 censuses, 1870–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Antioch’s Wikipedia page.
Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
The Antioch post office opened in 1851, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
Antioch is more historic than 41% of U.S. towns, #211 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.
4 listings: 2 buildings and 2 historic districts, the Shannon-Williamson Ranch and the Black Diamond Mines, with 9 contributing buildings. 11 historic buildings in all.
2% of Antioch’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 3.4% for a California town; the median home was built in 1985.
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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 National Register of Historic Places (4), 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, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
2017
2014
2010
2010
2007
2005
