Most of Caruthers was built recently: 8% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1975. Below: maps from 1925 on and the census since 1980.
Founding year: the first Caruthers post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).
History grade
What drives Caruthers’ History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Caruthers is more historic than 27% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Caruthers’ 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 Caruthers’ 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 C− to C. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±8.7 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 Caruthers’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Caruthers. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1925Caruthers 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 Caruthers.
The story so far
Caruthers, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Caruthers yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Caruthers () is a census-designated place (CDP) in Fresno County, California, United States. The population was 2,613 at the 2020 census, up from 2,497 at the 2010 census. Caruthers is located 15 miles (24 km) south of downtown Fresno, at an elevation of 246 feet (75 m).
Its first post office opened in 1891. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 2,497 to 2,613 (+5%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Caruthers, 1891 to 1942
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
The Caruthers post office opened in 1891, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Caruthers rank for history?
Caruthers is more historic than 27% 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.
How old are the homes in Caruthers?
8% of Caruthers’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±8.7 points), against a typical 3.4% for a California town; the median home was built in 1975.
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 (1), 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) 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.
2015