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History · Floriston

Floriston’s post office opened in 1891, and 53% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1919 on.

1891first post office
0on the National Register
53%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Loco Steve from Bromley , UK · CC BY 2.0
Quick answers

How Floriston began, and where its name came from

When was Floriston founded?

1891

The Floriston post office opened in 1891, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Bronco (1872), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

2020 census: 80135 years

How did Floriston get its name?

The name comes from the flowers at the place.

Founding year: the first Floriston post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓

What stands out about Floriston’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Floriston are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Floriston’s homes were built before 1938.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Floriston’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Floriston’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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The story

How Floriston came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Floriston.

Read it all →

The railroad station was established in the 1870s with the name of Bronco after the name of the creek a mile to the south. The Floriston post office opened in 1891.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Floriston, 1872 to 1955

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1872Post officeThe Bronco post office opens
  3. 1891Post officeThe Bronco post office closes
  4. 1891Post officeThe Floriston post office opens
  5. 20th century
  6. 1955On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Floriston, decade by decade

Today6 recent
California Zephyr - November 2021 - Sarah Stierch 032021California Zephyr - November 2021 - Sarah Stierch 03Westbound California Zephyr at2010Westbound California Zephyr atCalifornia Zephyr at2010California Zephyr atSP 6453 EB Floriston PRS spc Feb 19712008SP 6453 EB Floriston PRS spc Feb 1971Watching over I-80 in California, Nov 072007Watching over I-80 in California, Nov 07EMD 7001 WB at Floriston July942007EMD 7001 WB at Floriston July94
On the map

Floriston on the map, 1955 to 2000

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Floriston. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Floriston on the 1955 USGS mapFloriston on the 1969 USGS mapFloriston on the 2000 USGS map1955Boca sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Floriston.

Every building

Floriston, building by building, 1919

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 sheet.

Floriston fire insurance map, 1919, sheet 11919Sheet 1 of 1
Sheets
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Famous people

Famous people close to Floriston

Nobody well known was born in Floriston itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Mädchen AmickAmerican actress · b. 1970
Curtis HansonAmerican filmmaker · b. 1945
Julia MancusoAmerican alpine skier · b. 1984
Dawn WellsAmerican actress · b. 1938
Kristoffer PolahaAmerican actor · b. 1977
David TaylorAmerican amateur wrestler · b. 1990
Places that used to be

Lost post offices and old corners

Floriston’s post office has been open since 1891. Another post office, Bronco, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Bronco
1872–1891
Floriston
1891–today
18701950today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Bronco

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Questions about Floriston’s history

What year was Floriston founded?

The Floriston post office opened in 1891, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

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). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (6), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.