More historic than 16% of U.S. towns · #558 of 847 in California. What drives it
Most of La Presa was built recently: 1% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1974. Below: maps from 1955 on and the census since 2000.
Founding year: the first La Presa post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
History grade
What drives La Presa’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, La Presa is more historic than 16% of U.S. towns, #558 of 847 in California. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of La Presa’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 La Presa’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 (±0.7 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (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 La Presa’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 La Presa yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
La Presa (Spanish for "The Dam") is a census-designated place (CDP) in the East County region of San Diego County, California, United States. The population was 35,033 at the 2020 census, up from 34,169 at the 2010 census. La Presa belonged to the neighboring Spring Valley CDP from its inception in 1970 through 1990. It is still considered part of Spring Valley in informal usage and addresses in the CDP continue to use the name Spring Valley. It was named after Sweetwater Dam. La Presa is served by a 91977 ZIP Code, which is considered Spring Valley according to the USPS.
Its first post office opened in 1888. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 34,169 to 35,033 (+3%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
La Presa, 1888 to 1955
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
The La Presa post office opened in 1888, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does La Presa rank for history?
La Presa is more historic than 16% of U.S. towns, #558 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 La Presa?
1% of La Presa’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 3.4% for a California town; the median home was built in 1974.
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 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.
