Culver City’s post office opened in 1915, and 11% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 38% of U.S. towns · #245 of 847 in California. What drives it
Its Register listings are the Citizens Publishing Company Building, the Washington Building and the Culver Hotel. Below: 9 old photos and papers, maps from 1896 on, and the census since 1920.
Founding year: the first Culver City post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Culver City’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Culver City is more historic than 38% of U.S. towns, #245 of 847 in California. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Culver City’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 Culver City’s 0.8 sits above most of its state (74% of California towns have fewer) while its 3 listings outnumber those of 65% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to B. The pre-1940 share (±1.9 points) is firm at this size. 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 Culver City’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Archaeological evidence suggests a human presence in the area of present-day Culver City since at least 8000 BCE. The region was the homeland of the Tongva-Gabrieliño Native Americans. For centuries, native people lived in areas currently part of and surrounding Culver City. The Spanish and Mexican governments offered concessions and land grants from 1785 to 1846 forming the Ranchos of California. Culver City was founded on the lands of the former Rancho La Ballona and Rancho Rincon de los Bueyes.
During the American Civil War, a U.S. Army post called Camp Latham was established from 1861 to 1862 on the south bank of Ballona Creek.
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.
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.
The Culver City post office opened in 1915, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Culver City rank for history?
Culver City is more historic than 38% of U.S. towns, #245 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 Culver City?
Three places: the Citizens Publishing Company Building (listed 1987), the Washington Building (1991) and the Culver Hotel (1997).
How old are the homes in Culver City?
11% of Culver City’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.9 points), against a typical 3.4% for a California town; the median home was built in 1963.
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 (23), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (3), Wikipedia, 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 and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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