The Crockett post office opened in 1883, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Crockettville (1883), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 3,228 in 19902020 census: 3,242143 years
How historic is Crockett?
A−
More historic than 79% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Crockett post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Crockett’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Crockett is more historic than 79% of U.S. towns, #31 of 847 in California. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Crockett’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 Crockett’s 3.0 sits above most of its state (84% of California towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B− to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±7.8 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 Crockett’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Crockett is located on the Mexican land grant Rancho El Pinole made to Ygnacio Martinez, and is named after Joseph B. Crockett, a judge on the California Supreme Court. The town started when Thomas Edwards Sr. bought 1,800 acres (730 ha) of land from Judge Crockett in 1866. Edwards built his home in 1867 and when other settlers arrived, he started the first general store in Crockett. Edwards' home still stands and is known as "The Old Homestead", a California Historical Landmark. Crocketville post office was established in 1883, and the name was changed to Crockett later that year.
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
From the old history books
What they wrote about Crockett in 1926
Passages that mention Crockett, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Contra Costa County, California1926 · page 426Read the page →
Read the text
After finishing school work, David Edwards came back to the ranch operated by his father and which had been leased from Judge Crockett, and he remained on the ranch until the town of Crockett was started. His first employment was with the Port Costa Lumber Company, their yards being located at the place selected for the abutment of the new toll bridge.
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.
Timeline
Crockett, 1883 to 1959
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
The Crockett post office opened in 1883, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Crockett rank for history?
Crockett is more historic than 79% of U.S. towns, #31 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.
What is on the National Register in Crockett?
One place: the Memorial Hall (listed 2014).
How old are the homes in Crockett?
54% of Crockett’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.8 points), against a typical 3.4% for a California town; the median home was built in 1938.
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 (7), the Library of Congress (4), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, 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), the USGS Geographic Names Information System, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) 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.
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