Most of Arnold was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1981. Below: maps from 1979 on and the census since 1980.
The Arnold post office opened in 1934, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, White Pines (1940), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 2,385 in 19802020 census: 3,28892 years
How historic is Arnold?
D
More historic than 11% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Arnold post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Arnold’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Arnold is more historic than 11% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Arnold’s overall grade.
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 Arnold’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 range from D to C−. The pre-1940 share (±2.2 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 Arnold’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Arnold’s post office has been open since 1934. Another post office, White Pines, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Arnold
1934–today
White Pines
1940–1975
19301980today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Blue Lake JunctionBlue Lake SpringsFly-In AcresGrizzly RidgeLakemont PinesLakeside TerraceLilac ParkMeadowmontMountain RetreatMumbert AcresPinebrookWhite Pines
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Arnold is named after Bob and Bernice Arnold, who, in 1927 opened the Ebbetts Pass Inn. Prior to that, the community consisted of two large ranches where logging was the main industry. The inn served as a stop for people traveling along the Ebbetts Pass route as well as lodging for those visiting nearby Calaveras Big Trees State Park. In 1928, Camp Wolfeboro was established nearby as a Boy Scout camp and continues to be in operation today. The first post office was opened in 1934. Bernice was its postmistress at one time.
The Arnold post office opened in 1934, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Arnold rank for history?
Arnold is more historic than 11% of U.S. towns. 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 Arnold?
3% of Arnold’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.2 points), against a typical 3.4% for a California town; the median home was built in 1981.
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 Wikipedia, 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.
