More historic than 13% of U.S. towns · #625 of 847 in California. What drives it
Most of Broadmoor was built recently: 2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1949. Below: maps from 1896 on and the census since 1990.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Broadmoor is more historic than 13% of U.S. towns, #625 of 847 in California. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
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HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Broadmoor’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 Broadmoor’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 two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share (±2.3 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: our sources. 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 Broadmoor’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The farms that had long graced the area started to give way to suburban housing developments from the 1940s onwards. The residents of Broadmoor, rallying around their police protection district and their sense of identity as a separate community, have been mostly successful in fighting off annexation by Daly City, despite losing slices of their community's territory, including its police headquarters, in the many piecemeal annexations which over the years saw Daly City gradually encircle Broadmoor in its entirety. Daly City's attempts to annex the enclave and Broadmoor residents' resistance to those efforts have led to strained relations between the two entities at times.
Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.
Hamlets and corners on the map
Broadmoor Village
Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Broadmoor’s history
How does Broadmoor rank for history?
Broadmoor is more historic than 13% of U.S. towns, #625 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.
How old are the homes in Broadmoor?
2% of Broadmoor’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.3 points), against a typical 3.4% for a California town; the median home was built in 1949.
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) 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.
