Half of Hidden Valley Lake’s homes were built after 1993
More historic than 5% of U.S. towns · #768 of 847 in California. What drives it
Most of Hidden Valley Lake was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1993. Below: maps from 1945 on and the census since 1990.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Hidden Valley Lake is more historic than 5% of U.S. towns, #768 of 847 in California. 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 Hidden Valley Lake’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 Hidden Valley Lake’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 (±0.7 points) is firm at this size.
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 Hidden Valley Lake’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
In October 2014, The State Water Resources Control Board ordered the Hidden Valley Lake Community Services District to stop allowing new service connections to its water system due to concerns that, under current drought conditions, the district did not have enough water to meet future demands. The district, with about 2,500 connections, is a junior water rights holder in the Sacramento River and San Joaquin River watersheds. November 2020 the water moratorium was lifted and new water rights are currently available through the District, but at a much higher price point.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Hidden Valley Lake. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1945Lower Lake 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 Hidden Valley Lake.
People over time
Hidden Valley Lake, census by census
Grew from 1,961 people in 1990 to 6,235 in 2020, 3 times over.
4 censuses, 1990–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Hidden Valley Lake’s Wikipedia page.
Famous people
Famous people close to Hidden Valley Lake
Nobody well known was born in Hidden Valley Lake itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
Another post office, Guenoc, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Hamlets and corners on the map
Guenoc
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Hidden Valley Lake’s history
How does Hidden Valley Lake rank for history?
Hidden Valley Lake is more historic than 5% of U.S. towns, #768 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 Hidden Valley Lake?
0.0% of Hidden Valley Lake’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 3.4% for a California town; the median home was built in 1993.
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 Wikipedia, 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.
