The story so far
Clay, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Clay yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 1,195 to 1,252 (+5%).
D−History
History · Clay
Half of Clay’s homes were built after 1986
More historic than 5% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Most of Clay was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1986. Below: maps from 1909 on and old-book passages.
0on the National Register
0.0%homes built before 1940
Quick answers
About Clay’s history
How historic is Clay?
D−
What drives the grade ↓More historic than 5% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
History grade
What drives Clay’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Clay is more historic than 5% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
D−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Clay’s overall grade.
Founding eraNo founding year we can rely on, so the grade uses the other two–Homes built before 19400.0% of homes (±2.9) · typical CA town 3.4% · U.S. 8.4%D−National RegisterNo listings counted · typical CA town 0.0 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 5%
NewerOlder
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 Clay’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 (±2.9 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 Clay’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
★ What stands out · Help out
Start Clay’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Clay’s history is told.
Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.On the map
Clay on the map, 1909 to 1980
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Clay. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1909Clay sheet · 1:31,680U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Clay.
From the old history books
What they wrote about Clay in 1916
Passages that mention Clay, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Clay and the Clay hotel ..1916 · page (88)Read the page →
Read the text
Clay postoffice was established in 1873, the father of the writer was connected with it until March 31, 1900.
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.
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.
Add from your albumPlaces that used to be
Places now gone
Gone or out of use
Laguna Schoolschool
Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Clay’s history
How does Clay rank for history?
Clay is more historic than 5% 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 Clay?
0.0% of Clay’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.9 points), against a typical 3.4% for a California town; the median home was built in 1986.
Memory lane
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
Start a conversation
Sources
Where this page comes from
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, the USGS Geographic Names Information System 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.