Glendora’s post office opened in 1887, and 2 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 48% of U.S. towns · #163 of 847 in California. What drives it
Most of Glendora was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1964. 2 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 11 buildings. Below: 7 old photos and papers, maps from 1894 on, and the census since 1920.
Founding year: the first Glendora post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Glendora’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Glendora is more historic than 48% of U.S. towns, #163 of 847 in California. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Glendora’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 Glendora’s 2.2 sits above most of its state (81% of California towns have fewer) while its 11 historic buildings outnumber those of 76% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to B. The pre-1940 share (±0.9 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 Glendora’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first archaeological evidence of human settlement in Glendora dates from c. 6000 BCE. Around 3500 BCE, the Takic people moved into the area. By the time Europeans arrived in present-day Los Angeles County, the Tongva, also known as the Kizh or the Gabrieleños, were the dominant group.
Passages that mention Glendora, cut from the printed page as they were published.
An illustrated history of Los Angeles County, California1889Read the page →
Read the text
section of the Azusa now known as Glendora. He located at that place in 1874, when the site now occupied by the town of Glendora was but a wild and desolate waste. Securing a claim of 160 acres of Government land, he devoted himself to its cultivation and improvement, and with others in that sparsely settled section fought through long years of liti-
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
An illustrated history of Los Angeles County, California. Containing a history of Los Angeles County from the earliest period of its occupancy to the present time, together with glimpses of its prospective future ... and biographical mention of many of it1889Read the page →
Read the text
of his profession. He afterward moved to Waldron, Missouri, continuing his practice there till May, 1887, when he ca ne to California and took up his residence in Glendora, since which time he has devoted himself to mercantile pursuits. He built the first business house in Glendora, and started the first store under the name of Dr. Engelhardt & Bro., his brother,
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
An illustrated history of Los Angeles County, California1889Read the page →
Read the text
of his profession. He afterward moved to Waldron, Missouri, continuing his practice there till May, 1887. when he ca ne to California and took up his residence in Glendora, since which time he has devoted himself to mercantile pursuits. He built the first business house in Glendora, and started the first store under the name of Dr. Engelhardt & Bro., his brother,
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
An illustrated history of Los Angeles County, California. Containing a history of Los Angeles County from the earliest period of its occupancy to the present time, together with glimpses of its prospective future ... and biographical mention of many of it1889Read the page →
Read the text
Shortly afterward he purchased a squatter's right to 160 acres of Government land at the Azusa, where now stands the town of Glendora. This land was wild and uncultivated and was among that claimed by the Azusa grant holders.
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.
Timeline
Glendora, 1887 to 1995
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
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.
The Glendora post office opened in 1887, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Glendora rank for history?
Glendora is more historic than 48% of U.S. towns, #163 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 Glendora?
Two places: the Rubel Castle Historic District (listed 2013) and the Glendora Bougainvillea (1978).
How old are the homes in Glendora?
5% of Glendora’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 3.4% for a California town; the median home was built in 1964.
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 (8), the Library of Congress (2), the National Register of Historic Places (2), 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, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) 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.
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