More historic than 8% of U.S. towns · #744 of 847 in California. What drives it
Most of Delhi was built recently: 1% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1993. Below: maps from 1917 on and the census since 1960.
Founding year: the first Delhi post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Delhi’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Delhi is more historic than 8% of U.S. towns, #744 of 847 in California. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Delhi’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 Delhi’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 any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would still be D. The pre-1940 share (±1.6 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 Delhi’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The Delhi post office opened in 1912, closed in 1918, and reopened in 1920.
The building housing the New Beginnings Christian Center, a Delhi church, was built for display at the World's Fair in San Francisco, in 1939. The building was to be torn down after the fair, but Enoch Christoffersen, who was a mayor of Turlock, California, said it was too nice a church so it was bought and the structure was disassembled and shipped by train to Delhi, where it was re-assembled at its current location at 9711 N. Stephens Street.
Passages that mention Delhi, cut from the printed page as they were published.
The history of the reign of Shah-Aulum, the present emperor of Hindostaun. Containing the transactions of the court of Delhi, and the neighbouring states, during a period of thirty-six years1798 · page 199Read the page →
Read the text
X HE province of Delhi, agreeably to the defcription of native geographers, is bounded on the eafl: by Agrah, on the weft by Lahore, fouth by Agimere, and north by the Kummow Hills. Its length, from the town of Pulwul, near Agrah, to the river Sutluz, is 1 60 cofes J and its breadth, from the town of Rewari to the Kummow Hills, is 140 cofes. It is divided into eight Circars, or principal diflridls, namely, Shahjehanabad, (modern Delhi), Serhind, HilTar Feiroozeh, Sehaurunpore, Sumbul, Bedaoon, Nar-
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The history of the reign of Shah-Aulum, the present emperor of Hindostaun. Containing the transactions of the court of Delhi, and the neighbouring states, during a period of thirty-six years1798 · page 185Read the page →
Read the text
army. After fuflaining the infults and indignities of the foldiers, his nofe, ears, hands, and feet, were cut off; and in this mutilated and miferable condition he was, by order of Ali Behadur, font off to Delhi; but, on the journey, death relieved the miferable wretch from his fufferings: thus dreadfully atoning for the crimes of his favage and abandoned life! — The Nazir, on his arrival, at Delhi, was trodden to death under the feet of an elephant.
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
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Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
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The Delhi post office opened in 1912, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Delhi rank for history?
Delhi is more historic than 8% of U.S. towns, #744 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 Delhi?
1% of Delhi’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.6 points), against a typical 3.4% for a California town; the median home was built in 1993.
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 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 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.
