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D−History
History · Fountain Valley

Fountain Valley dates to 1957

More historic than 3% of U.S. towns · #817 of 847 in California. What drives it

Most of Fountain Valley was built recently: 0.7% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1972. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1896 on, and the census since 1960.

1957founded
0on the National Register
0.7%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
29famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Fountain Valley’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Fountain Valley began

When was Fountain Valley founded?

1957

Fountain Valley dates its founding to 1957 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1960.

First census: 2,068 in 19602020 census: 57,04769 years

How historic is Fountain Valley?

D−

More historic than 3% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1889.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Fountain Valley’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Fountain Valley is more historic than 3% of U.S. towns, #817 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 Fountain Valley’s overall grade.
Founding era1957, from Wikipedia: founded 1945 or later, an older era than 2% of U.S. townsD−Homes built before 19400.7% of homes (±0.4) · typical CA town 3.4% · U.S. 8.4%DNational RegisterNo listings counted · typical CA town 0.0 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 3%
NewerOlder
California towns of 2,500+ (847)Ahead of 4%

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 Fountain Valley’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 range from D− to D. The pre-1940 share (±0.4 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1957.

Founding year: Wikipedia (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 Fountain Valley’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18968 editions of the USGS map, 1896 to 1981. Watch Fountain Valley change.Lost villages1 post office opened and closed inside today’s Fountain Valley, and 4 old place names are still on the map.Famous sons and daughtersKeri Russell, Summer Altice and 27 more were born here.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Fountain Valley’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewHarbor Blvd at Heil Ave, Fountain Valle…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Fountain Valley on the map, 1896 to 1981

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

Fountain Valley on the 1896 USGS mapFountain Valley on the 1901 USGS mapFountain Valley on the 1932 USGS mapFountain Valley on the 1949 USGS mapFountain Valley on the 1951 USGS mapFountain Valley on the 1965 USGS mapFountain Valley on the 1974 USGS mapFountain Valley on the 1981 USGS map1896Santa Ana 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 Fountain Valley.

Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and places now gone

Another post office, Talbert, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Colonia JuarezFountain Valley Mobile Home EstatesRancho La Siesta Mobile Home ParkTalbert
Gone or out of use
Mile Square Naval Outer Landing Fieldmilitary

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

The story

How Fountain Valley came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Fountain Valley.

Read it all →

The Indigenous people of the Fountain Valley area are the Tongva. The closest village to present-day site of the city was the village of Pasbenga. The village was part of a series of villages along what the Spanish would refer to as the Santa Ana River.

European settlement of the area began when Manuel Nieto was granted the land for Rancho Los Nietos, later Rancho Las Bolsas, which encompassed over 300,000 acres (1,200 km2), including present-day Fountain Valley. Control of the land was subsequently transferred to Mexico upon independence from Spain, and then to the United States as part of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.

ChaptersIndigenousSpanishTalbertIncorporation

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Fountain Valley, 1889 to 1992

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1889Post officeThe Talbert post office opens
  3. 1896On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  4. 20th century
  5. 1907Post officeThe Talbert post office closes
  6. 1957
    FoundingFountain Valley is established
  7. 1960In the archiveHarbor Blvd at Heil Ave, Fountain Valley, CA, 1960s
  8. 1975Born hereJustin Huish is born here
  9. 1976Born hereKeri Russell is born here
  10. 1979Born hereSummer Altice is born here
  11. 1992Born hereTaylor Sander is born here
By decade

Fountain Valley, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1960s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1960s1 item
Harbor Blvd at Heil Ave, Fountain Valley, CA, 1960sc. 1960Harbor Blvd at Heil Ave, Fountain Valley, CA, 1960s
1970s–1990snothing yet
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.
Add from your album
Today13 recent
Huntington Beach and Fountain Valley from over Costa Mesa by Don Ramey Logan2020Huntington Beach and Fountain Valley from over Costa …Mile Square Park2014Mile Square ParkBrookhurst St & Talbert Ave, Fountain Valley, California (2012-03-25)2012Brookhurst St & Talbert Ave, Fountain Valley, Califor…Brookhurst St & Talbert Ave, Fountain Valley, California (2012-03-25) (crop)2012Brookhurst St & Talbert Ave, Fountain Valley, Califor…Mile Square Regional Park, Santa Ana River, and I-405, Fountain Valley, California on Approach to Long Beach Airport2011Mile Square Regional Park, Santa Ana River, and I-405…Interstate 405 Through Fountain Valley and Westminster, California2011Interstate 405 Through Fountain Valley and Westminste…Fountain Valley, California2011Fountain Valley, CaliforniaSix horse team hauling hay at Talbert (now2008Six horse team hauling hay at Talbert (nowDeciduous tree california2008Deciduous tree californiaOrange county banana tree flowers and fruit2007Orange county banana tree flowers and fruitLimes on the vine2007Limes on the vineLime tree limes2006Lime tree limesFountainValleyMap2006FountainValleyMap
Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Harbor Blvd at Heil Ave, Fountain Valley, CA, 1960s
Retake this viewHarbor Blvd at Heil Ave, Fountain Valley, CA, 1960s, c. 1960

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Fountain Valley’s page.

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Fountain Valley, census by census

05,00010,00015,00020,00025,00030,00035,00040,00045,00050,00055,00060,000196019802000202057,047

Grew from 2,068 people in 1960 to 57,047 in 2020, more than tenfold.

7 censuses, 1960–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Fountain Valley’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

29 famous people were born in Fountain Valley

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Keri RussellAmerican actress · b. 1976
Summer AlticeAmerican fashion model and actress · b. 1979
Taylor SanderAmerican volleyball player · b. 1992
J
Justin HuishAmerican archer · b. 1975
Freddie FreemanCanadian-American professional baseball player · b. 1989
A
Alys WilliamsWater polo player · b. 1994
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

WestminsterIts storyC−Santa Ana23 historic placesBHuntington Beach6 historic placesC−Garden GroveIts storyC−

Questions about Fountain Valley’s history

What year was Fountain Valley founded?

In 1957, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Fountain Valley’s post office opened in 1889, and the census of 1960 counted 2,068 people here.

How does Fountain Valley rank for history?

Fountain Valley is more historic than 3% of U.S. towns, #817 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 Fountain Valley?

0.7% of Fountain Valley’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 3.4% for a California town; the median home was built in 1972.

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).

From Wikimedia Commons (14), 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) 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.