More historic than 5% of U.S. towns · #764 of 847 in California. What drives it
Most of Buellton was built recently: 0.6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1994. Below: 4 old photos and papers, maps from 1942 on, and the census since 1970.
The Buellton post office opened in 1920, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1992. Two smaller post offices, Ionata (1874) and Buell (1897), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
First census: 1,402 in 19702020 census: 5,161106 years
How historic is Buellton?
D
More historic than 5% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Buellton post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1992.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Buellton’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Buellton is more historic than 5% of U.S. towns, #764 of 847 in California. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Buellton’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 Buellton’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 any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D− to D. The pre-1940 share (±0.5 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata gives 1992.
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 Buellton’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Buellton is named for Rufus T. Buell, an early settler who owned the Rancho San Carlos de Jonata Mexican land grant. It has been a minor tourist destination since the 1920s, and became increasingly popular after the opening of Pea Soup Andersen's in 1924. This and an abundance of fuel, lodging and other traveler services led Buellton to adopt the nickname "Servicetown, USA."
Buellton has also experienced increased notoriety due to the film Sideways (2004), which was filmed in Buellton and Solvang. The city has gained additional tourism due to many nearby wineries, two popular breweries, and the Flying Flags RV Resort.
The Buellton post office opened in 1920, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1992.
How does Buellton rank for history?
Buellton is more historic than 5% of U.S. towns, #764 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 Buellton?
0.6% of Buellton’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 3.4% for a California town; the median home was built in 1994.
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 Library of Congress (5), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), 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.
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