Most of Elkhorn was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1977. Below: 5 old photos and papers, maps from 1917 on, and the census since 1990.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Elkhorn 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 Elkhorn’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 Elkhorn’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 is a Census survey estimate (±3.2 points).
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 Elkhorn’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Elkhorn. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1917San Juan Bautista sheet · 1:62,500
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Elkhorn.
The story so far
Elkhorn, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Elkhorn yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Elkhorn is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Monterey County, California, United States. Elkhorn was originally a stop on the Southern Pacific Railroad 4 miles (6 km) north of Castroville, at an elevation of 10 feet (3.0 m). The settled part of the community now occupies the hills to the east of the railroad. The population of the Elkhorn CDP was 1,588 at the 2020 census. Local understandings of the extent of Elkhorn may vary from the Census definition. Elkhorn was named after the elk in the area that have since gone extinct.
Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 1,565 in 2010, 1,588 in 2020.
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
By decade
Elkhorn, decade by decade
One decade in the archive so far: the 1980s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
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.
Elkhorn 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 Elkhorn?
0.0% of Elkhorn’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.2 points), against a typical 3.4% for a California town; the median home was built in 1977.
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 (6), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
1983
1983
1983
1983
1983
2007
