Auburn’s post office opened in 1852, and 14% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 67% of U.S. towns · #69 of 847 in California. What drives it
14 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 8 buildings. Below: 22 old photos and papers, maps from 1891 on, and the census since 1860.
The Auburn post office opened in 1852, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Auburn Station (1863), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
First census: 814 in 18602020 census: 13,776174 years
How historic is Auburn?
B+
More historic than 67% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Auburn post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Auburn’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Auburn is more historic than 67% of U.S. towns, #69 of 847 in California. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Auburn’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 Auburn’s 14.5 sits above most of its state (94% of California towns have fewer) while its 20 historic buildings outnumber those of 79% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.0 points). 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 Auburn’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
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.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Every building
Auburn, building by building, 1891–1912
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.
Archaeological finds place the southwestern border for the prehistoric Martis people in the Auburn area. The indigenous Nisenan, an offshoot of the Maidu, were the first to establish a permanent settlement in the Auburn area.
In the spring of 1848, a group of French gold miners arrived and camped in what would later be known as the Auburn Ravine. This group was on its way to the gold fields in Coloma, California, and it included Francois Gendron, Philibert Courteau, and Claude Chana. The young Chana discovered gold on May 16, 1848. After finding the gold deposits in the soil, the trio decided to stay for more prospecting and mining.
Passages that mention Auburn, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Placer county, California1882 · page 198Read the page →
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except that the first Recorder elected under these laws shall hold his office until the first Saturday of January, 1807, and he and his successors shall keep the books, papers and office in the town of Auburn. It shall be his duty annually to give at least one week's notice, before the first of January, by i)ublication in the newspapers published in the town of Auburn, of an election (staling the time and place)
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Placer County,California1923 · page 367Read the page →
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hope it will not tall still-boin agan, but that our citizens will puisue the undertaking to the consum mation so devoutly to be wished foi The town of Auburn was incoipoiated by an Act of the Legwlature approved М пећ 29 1361 The area of the town was fixed by the Aet at one and one-fourth miles squaie, having the Court [House as Шә сеппе On the 30th of Maich, 1868 the Act of
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Placer county, California1882 · page 288Read the page →
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In 1857 the Auburn Ravine Turnpike was constructed. This road was about twelve miles in length ; leaving the old Sacramento and Auburn road at the Oaks House, running via Gold Hill, in Auburn Ravine, through Auburn and to the Junction House, on the Illinoistown road, two and a half miles above Auburn, where it connected with Yankee Jim's road.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Placer County,California1923 · page 281Read the page →
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very heavy, involving decp cutting, known ач the Bloomer Cur and other expensive work On tbe 22d of May, 1865, cara commenced running to the resent station on the outskirts of Auburn, and ths rem ıınod the depot until Clipper Gap was reached in June The town of Colfax was laid out early ın July on land belonging to the »a111023 company and lots sold at auction Еау in September the 10ad
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.
Timeline
Auburn, 1852 to 1971
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
The Auburn post office opened in 1852, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Auburn rank for history?
Auburn is more historic than 67% of U.S. towns, #69 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 Auburn?
14 listings: 12 buildings, 1 historic district, the Old Auburn Historic District, with 8 contributing buildings, and 1 structure. 20 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Auburn?
14% of Auburn’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.0 points), against a typical 3.4% for a California town; the median home was built in 1978.
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 the Library of Congress (26), Wikidata (4), the National Register of Historic Places (14), 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.
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