Dixon’s post office opened in 1868, and 1 of its places is on the National Register
More historic than 29% of U.S. towns · #350 of 847 in California. What drives it
Most of Dixon was built recently: 0.7% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1988. Its Register listing is the Dixon Carnegie Library. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1884 on, and the census since 1870.
The Dixon post office opened in 1868, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Silveyville (1864), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
First census: 317 in 18702020 census: 18,988158 years
How historic is Dixon?
C
More historic than 29% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Dixon post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Dixon’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Dixon is more historic than 29% of U.S. towns, #350 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 Dixon’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 Dixon’s 0.5 sits above most of its state (71% 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 D to C+. The pre-1940 share (±0.7 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 Dixon’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
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 first semi-permanent European settlement to develop in the Dixon area emerged during the California Gold Rush of the mid-19th century when the community of Silveyville was founded in 1852 by Elijah Silvey as a halfway point between the Pacific coast and the rich gold fields of Sacramento along a route commonly traveled by miners. In 1868, Central Pacific Railroad came through the area and missed Silveyville by a few miles. As a result, local leaders decided to physically relocate Silveyville closer to the tracks in order to enjoy the benefits of commerce and travel. One of the first buildings that still stands in Dixon from the 1871 move is the Dixon Methodist Church located at 209 N. Jefferson Street.
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.
Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds
Dixon’s post office has been open since 1868. Another post office, Silveyville, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Silveyville
1864–1871
Dixon
1868–today
18601940today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Sucro
1cemetery inside Dixon
Silveyville
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Dixon’s history
What year was Dixon founded?
The Dixon post office opened in 1868, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Dixon rank for history?
Dixon is more historic than 29% of U.S. towns, #350 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 Dixon?
One place: the Dixon Carnegie Library (listed 2011).
How old are the homes in Dixon?
0.7% of Dixon’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 3.4% for a California town; the median home was built in 1988.
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 (5), Wikidata (2), 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 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.
Date?
2015
2011
2011