More historic than 12% of U.S. towns · #629 of 847 in California. What drives it
Most of Hughson was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1996. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1912 on, and the census since 1960.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1908.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Hughson’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Hughson is more historic than 12% of U.S. towns, #629 of 847 in California. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Hughson’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 Hughson’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 C−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.1 points). Two sources give 1907.
Founding year: Wikidata (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 Hughson’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
In 1882, Hiram Hughson arrived in the area east of Ceres and north of Denair, California, purchasing land and eventually owning 5,000 acres. In recognition of his holdings, the San Joaquin Railroad named their local stop "Hughson" in the early 1900s. In 1907, Hiram Hughson and neighboring landowner John Tully opened up their land for settlement. As new inhabitants arrived, the area became known as Hughson Township. On December 9, 1972, Hughson was incorporated as a city.
Passages that mention Hughson, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Stanislaus County California1921 · page 1341Read the page →
Read the text
havoc wrought to Rheims and other places by the big guns in the World War. He returned to San Francisco after a very profitable year of study and research and soon was appointed by Archbishop Edward J. Hanna as the first rector of St. Anthony's Parish at Hughson on August 9, 1921, the parish having been officially established the day before. St. Anthony parish embraces about twelve square miles. As a mission it had been attended by priests from St. Stanislaus parish until the appointment of Father Philipps, and the first parochial mass was said by the Rector August 14, 1921. Father Philipps immediately began to plan for a new edifice. A lot has
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Stanislaus County California1921 · page 1406Read the page →
Read the text
In 1916, however, wishing to get out into the open, Mr. Ulrey purchased a ranch of twenty acres half a mile south of Hughson, and there ran a dairy and alfalfa farm for three years, keeping about twenty head of cattle. In 1919, he sold this ranch and came to Hughson, and having purchased trucks, he embarked in transportation of
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
Hughson, 1907 to 1916
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.
In 1907, according to Wikidata. Hughson’s post office opened in 1908, and the census of 1960 counted 1,898 people here.
How does Hughson rank for history?
Hughson is more historic than 12% of U.S. towns, #629 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 Hughson?
5% of Hughson’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.1 points), against a typical 3.4% for a California town; the median home was built in 1996.
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), 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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