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History · Ballard

Ballard dates to 1880

Most of Ballard was built recently: 8% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1979. Below: maps from 1942 on.

1880founded
0on the National Register
8%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Ballard began

When was Ballard founded?

1880

Ballard dates its founding to 1880 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history agree). Its post office opened in 1870.

2020 census: 768146 years
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1870.The full story ↓

What stands out about Ballard’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Ballard are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Ballard’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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The story

How Ballard came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Ballard.

Read it all →

Ballard was founded in 1880 at the location of a Wells Fargo stage line station, being named by George Lewis after William Ballard, the former proprietor, who ran the station from 1862 to 1870. In 1882 it was believed that Ballard would grow into the central metropolis of Santa Barbara County. The first school, Ballard's Little Red School House, was built in 1882 and is still in operation today, being the primary tourist attraction.

The wine-producing region around Ballard was featured in the Academy Award-nominated film Sideways.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Ballard, 1870 to 1942

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1870Post officeThe Ballards post office opens
  3. 1872Post officeThe Ballards post office closes
  4. 1880
    FoundingBallard is established
  5. 1881Post officeThe Ballard post office opens
  6. 20th century
  7. 1918Post officeThe Ballard post office closes
  8. 1942On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Ballard, decade by decade

Today2 recent
Ballard School 1B2011Ballard School 1BBallard City Limit2006Ballard City Limit
On the map

Ballard on the map, 1942 to 1995

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

Ballard on the 1942 USGS mapBallard on the 1959 USGS mapBallard on the 1982 USGS mapBallard on the 1995 USGS map1942Los Olivos 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 Ballard.

Famous people

Famous people close to Ballard

Nobody well known was born in Ballard itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Katy PerryAmerican singer · b. 1984
Maika MonroeAmerican actress · b. 1993
Anthony EdwardsAmerican actor · b. 1962
Edie SedgwickAmerican socialite, actress and model · b. 1943
A
Alex D. LinzAmerican actor · b. 1989
Cole HauserAmerican actor · b. 1975
Places that used to be

Lost post offices and burying grounds

Ballard had its own post office from 1881 to 1918. Another post office, Ballards, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Ballards
1870–1872
Ballard
1881–1918
18701950today
1cemetery inside Ballard
Oak Hill Memorial

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.

Los Olivos1 historic placeBSanta YnezIts storyC−

Questions about Ballard’s history

What year was Ballard founded?

In 1880, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Ballard’s post office opened in 1870.

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). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (2), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.