1 of Homestead Valley’s places is on the National Register
More historic than 33% of U.S. towns · #302 of 847 in California. What drives it
Its Register listing is the Integratron. Most of Homestead Valley was built recently: 0.7% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1967. Below: maps from 1955 on.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Homestead Valley is more historic than 33% of U.S. towns, #302 of 847 in California. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
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HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Homestead Valley’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 Homestead Valley’s 3.7 sits above most of its state (85% of California towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% 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 (±1.2 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 Homestead Valley’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Homestead Valley yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Homestead Valley is a census-designated place in San Bernardino County, California. Homestead Valley sits at an elevation of 3,022 feet (921 m). The 2020 United States census reported Homestead Valley's population was 2,789. The CDP includes the unincorporated community of Landers.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 3,032 to 2,789 (-8%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
By decade
No old photos in the archives yet
Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Homestead Valley. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1955Emerson 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 Homestead Valley.
On the National Register
1 historic place in Homestead Valley
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.
Hamlets and corners on the map
Flamingo HeightsLanders
Gone or out of use
Landers Airportairport
Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Homestead Valley’s history
How does Homestead Valley rank for history?
Homestead Valley is more historic than 33% of U.S. towns, #302 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 Homestead Valley?
One place: the Integratron (listed 2018).
How old are the homes in Homestead Valley?
0.7% of Homestead Valley’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.2 points), against a typical 3.4% for a California town; the median home was built in 1967.
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 the National Register of Historic Places (1), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps 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.