1 place in town is on the National Register, among them a historic district with 8 buildings. Below: 1 old photo or paper from 1906 on and old-book passages.
Founding year: the first Bolinas post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Bolinas’ History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Bolinas is more historic than 79% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Bolinas’ 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 Bolinas’ 60.0 sits above most of its state (98% of California towns have fewer) while its 8 historic buildings outnumber those of 74% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±5.7 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 Bolinas’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Prior to the European colonization of California, the Coast Miwok lived in the area, possibly calling the area "Bali-N".
Bolinas and present-day Stinson Beach were once encompassed by Rancho Las Baulines, a Mexican land grant given by Governor Pío Pico to Gregorio Briones in 1846.
The first post office in the town of Bolinas opened in 1863. The post office closed on March 3, 2023. The town's residents have petitioned for it to reopen.
Passages that mention Bolinas, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Marin County, California ... also an historical sketch of the state of California1880 · page 419Read the page →
Read the text
ing his way. Arriving here he proceeded to Peialuma, where he was •engaged in working on a ranch till 1860, when he came to Bolinas and •stayed a short time ; from there to the city and worked in a hotel until the 2d of February, 1861 ; came to Bolinas again and engaged in wood chopping. That Fall he purchased a ranch in what is known as Pine Gulch, and •continued on it till 1872, when he disposed of his farm and purchased the Bolinas hotel property from Mrs. Jesus GifFord. He has since conducted that business, having enlarged the house and made a tip-top caravansary of
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Marin County, California ... also an historical sketch of the state of California1880 · page 428Read the page →
Read the text
He came to Bolinas at once, and formed a partnership with Hiram Nott and George Gavitt in the schooner " Eliza," which he ran in the San Francisco and Bolinas trade until 1854, when he disposed of his interest and returned home for his family. After his return to California he came again to Bolinas and followed hunting for one year, when he purchased his present homestead, where he conducts a general dairying and farmingbusiness. He has held the office of Road Master since 1876. He is one of the staunch citizens of Marin county, and a perfect gentleman. He was
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
Bolinas, 1863 to 1976
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
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.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Bolinas’ history
What year was Bolinas founded?
The Bolinas post office opened in 1863, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Bolinas rank for history?
Bolinas is more historic than 79% 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.
What is on the National Register in Bolinas?
One place: the Marconi-RCA Bolinas Transmitting Station (listed 2018).
How old are the homes in Bolinas?
26% of Bolinas’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.7 points), against a typical 3.4% for a California town; the median home was built in 1964.
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 (1), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System 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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