Ione dates to 1849, and 7 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 80% of U.S. towns · #29 of 847 in California. What drives it
Most of Ione was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2000. 7 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 79 buildings. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1891 on, and the census since 1880.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1857.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Ione’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Ione is more historic than 80% of U.S. towns, #29 of 847 in California. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Ione’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 Ione’s 98.3 sits above most of its state (99% of California towns have fewer) while its 90 historic buildings outnumber those of 89% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1849.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B− to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±5.9 points).
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 Ione’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Ione is the historical home of the Sierra Miwok Indians. In 1840, the future town site became part of the Mexican land grant Rancho Arroyo Seco in Alta California.
The town is located in the fertile Ione Valley; it is believed to have been named by Thomas Brown around 1849 after one of the heroines in Edward Bulwer-Lytton's drama The Last Days of Pompeii, but conflicting legends and sources for the name exist. During the days of the California gold rush, the miners knew the town by the names of "Bedbug" and "Freezeout." Unlike other communities in Amador County that were founded on gold mining, Ione was a supply center, stage and rail stop, and agricultural hub.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Ione. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1941Sutter Creek 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 Ione.
Every building
Ione, building by building, 1891–1912
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.
Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds
Ione’s post office has been open since 1880. Another post office, Ione City, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Ione City
1857–1861
Ione
1880–today
18501940today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Chinatown
Gone or out of use
Ione Grammar SchoolschoolUnion Schoolschool
3cemeteries and burying grounds inside Ione
Ione CatholicIone PublicPreston School of Industry
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Ione’s history
What year was Ione founded?
In 1849, according to Wikidata. Ione’s post office opened in 1857, and the census of 1880 counted 686 people here.
How does Ione rank for history?
Ione is more historic than 80% of U.S. towns, #29 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 Ione?
7 listings: 5 buildings, among them the Preston Castle (listed 1975, the first), 1 historic district, the Preston School of Industry, with 79 contributing buildings, and 1 structure. 90 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Ione?
6% of Ione’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.9 points), against a typical 3.4% for a California town; the median home was built in 2000.
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 Library of Congress (2), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (7), 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 and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
Date?
2014
2014
2012
