Brentwood dates to 1837, and 1 of its places is on the National Register
More historic than 50% of U.S. towns · #150 of 847 in California. What drives it
Most of Brentwood was built recently: 2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2003. Its Register listing is the John Marsh House. Below: 4 old photos and papers, maps from 1895 on, and the census since 1950.
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1878.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Brentwood’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Brentwood is more historic than 50% of U.S. towns, #150 of 847 in California. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Brentwood’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 Brentwood’s 0.2 sits near the middle of its state (64% of California towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B+. The pre-1940 share (±0.7 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1837.
Founding year: Wikidata (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 Brentwood’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
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.
1895Sheet 1 of 1
Edition
Sheets
BrickWoodStone
Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
On the map
Brentwood on the map, 1914 to 1978
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Brentwood. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1914Brentwood sheet · 1:31,680
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Brentwood.
Brentwood was originally laid out on land donated from property owned by John Marsh, an East Contra Costa County pioneer who acquired Rancho Los Méganos, the land grant that Brentwood is built upon, in 1837 from Jose Noriega. Marsh was one of the wealthiest men in California and was instrumental in its becoming independent from Mexico and part of the United States. His letters extolling the potential for agriculture in California were published in newspapers throughout the East. They resulted in the first wagon trains to California. Marsh encouraged this, and allowed new arrivals to stay on his ranch until they could get settled. Rancho Los Méganos became the terminus of the California Trail. Brentwood was named after Marsh's ancestral home, the town of Brentwood in the County of Essex, England.
Passages that mention Brentwood, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Contra Costa County, California1926 · page 166Read the page →
Read the text
Brentwood, the center of this area, has grown apace with the development of the surrounding country. Its principal street is Oak Street, which was paved in 1915. Some of the principal buildings are Hotel Brentwood, built by the Balfour-Guthrie Company at a cost of $40,000, the Bank of Brentwood, the Liberty Union High School, and the Brentwood-Deer Valley Grammar School. This grammar school, which cost $40,000, was financed by a bond issue voted at the election in September, 1921 ; and the building was occupied in 1922. The school has four teach-
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Contra Costa County, California1926 · page 724Read the page →
Read the text
to take a ride from Merced to Stockton on the San Joaquin Valley Road at the time of its completion to that point. His school days ended, he entered the employ of the Western Union Telegraph Company in Merced as a messenger. In 1901 he went to Brentwood as assistant agent for the Southern Pacific Railroad. The following year he was sent to Atwater, in his native county, and in 1903 opened the first telegraph office there. From- Atwater he was shifted around by the company, and for two and one-half years was a relief man and served in many places
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
Brentwood, 1837 to 1999
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.
In 1837, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Brentwood’s post office opened in 1878, and the census of 1950 counted 1,729 people here.
How does Brentwood rank for history?
Brentwood is more historic than 50% of U.S. towns, #150 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 Brentwood?
One place: the John Marsh House (listed 1971).
How old are the homes in Brentwood?
2% of Brentwood’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 3.4% for a California town; the median home was built in 2003.
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 (2), the Library of Congress (3), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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.
1938
1938
2005