Guadalupe was first counted by the census in 1880, and 1 of its places is on the National Register
More historic than 39% of U.S. towns · #234 of 847 in California. What drives it
Most of Guadalupe was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1986. Its Register listing is the Royal Theater. Below: maps from 1895 on and the census since 1880.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Guadalupe is more historic than 39% of U.S. towns, #234 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 Guadalupe’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 Guadalupe’s 1.2 sits above most of its state (77% 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 C− to B−. The pre-1940 share (±2.3 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: the first census (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 Guadalupe’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 European land exploration of Alta California, the Spanish Portolá expedition, camped near today's Guadalupe on September 1, 1769. Franciscan missionary and expedition member Juan Crespí noted in his diary that they found "a very large lake". The lake has since mostly filled in, leaving a low-lying plain traversed by the Santa Maria River and several tributaries.
Passages that mention Guadalupe, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Santa Barbara county, California, with illustrations and biographical sketches of its prominent men and pioneers1883 · page 310Read the page →
Read the text
One of the i-ed-letter days in the history of the town of Guadalupe was that on which was celebrated the great Masonic festival of St. John's Day. It was determined by those having the matter in charge that all previous gala occasions should be utterly eclipsed by this grand festival. The streets of the town were transformed by the throngs of people who gathered far and near to witness the exercises. Amidst the
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Santa Barbara county, California, with illustrations and biographical sketches of its prominent men and pioneers1883 · page 298Read the page →
Read the text
Point Sal is at the extremity of a prominent cape that projects into the Pacific from the Government lands that lie between the Casmali and the Guadalupe Ranchos. It is about six miles frorri the mouth of the Los Alamos Arroyo, nine miles from Guadalupe, twenty-four miles from Los Alamos, and twenty-one miles from Lompoc.
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
Guadalupe, 1873 to 1947
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
People over time
Guadalupe, census by census
Grew from 174 people in 1880 to 8,057 in 2020, more than tenfold.
9 censuses, 1880–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Guadalupe’s Wikipedia page.
Places that used to be
Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds
Guadalupe’s post office has been open since 1915. Another post office, Guadaloupe, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Guadaloupe
1873–1915
Guadalupe
1915–today
18701950today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Barsug
1cemetery inside Guadalupe
Guadalupe
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Guadalupe’s history
What year was Guadalupe founded?
The Guadalupe post office opened in 1880, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Guadalupe rank for history?
Guadalupe is more historic than 39% of U.S. towns, #234 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 Guadalupe?
One place: the Royal Theater (listed 2022).
How old are the homes in Guadalupe?
4% of Guadalupe’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.3 points), against a typical 3.4% for a California town; the median home was built in 1986.
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 (3), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, 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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