Half of Channel Islands Beach’s homes were built after 1976
More historic than 18% of U.S. towns · #524 of 847 in California. What drives it
Most of Channel Islands Beach was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1976. Below: maps from 1904 on and the census since 1990.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Channel Islands Beach is more historic than 18% of U.S. towns, #524 of 847 in California. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Channel Islands Beach’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 Channel Islands Beach’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 is a Census survey estimate (±3.2 points).
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 Channel Islands Beach’s 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 Channel Islands Beach. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1904Hueneme sheet · 1:62,500
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Channel Islands Beach.
Places that used to be
Old corners
Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.
Hamlets and corners on the map
Hollywood BeachHollywood by the SeaOxnard BeachSilver Strand
Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
The story so far
Channel Islands Beach, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Channel Islands Beach yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Channel Islands Beach is an unincorporated community in Ventura County, California, United States consisting of three historic neighborhoods: Hollywood Beach, Hollywood by the Sea, and Silver Strand Beach. This densely populated narrow 1.3-mile-long strip (2.1 km) along the coastal edge of the Oxnard Plain was subdivided using the glamor of Hollywood to sell lots in the mid-1920s since the sand dunes had been used for movies. Adjacent development has left this sandy beachfront neighborhood hemmed in by Channel Islands Harbor and Naval Base Ventura County. The harbor mouth separates them into two communities resulting in a round-about travel route around the harbor between them although the …
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 3,103 to 2,870 (-8%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
By decade
No old photos in the archives yet
Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
Channel Islands Beach is more historic than 18% of U.S. towns, #524 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 Channel Islands Beach?
4% of Channel Islands Beach’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.2 points), against a typical 3.4% for a California town; the median home was built in 1976.
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 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.
