More historic than 40% of U.S. towns · #223 of 847 in California. What drives it
Most of Lafayette was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1960. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1897 on, and the census since 1960.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Lafayette is more historic than 40% of U.S. towns, #223 of 847 in California. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Lafayette’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 Lafayette’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 C− to B−. The pre-1940 share (±2.0 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1848.
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 Lafayette’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Before the colonization of the region by Spain, Lafayette and its vicinity were inhabited by the Saclan tribe of the indigenous Bay Miwok. Ohlone also populated some of the areas along Lafayette Creek. The indigenous inhabitants' first contact with Europeans was in the late 18th century with the founding of Catholic missions in the region. These initial contacts developed into conflict, with years of armed struggle, including a battle on what is currently Lafayette soil in 1797 between the Saclan and the Spanish, and eventually resulting in the subjugation of the native population.
Passages that mention Lafayette, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Contra Costa County, California1926 · page 364Read the page →
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October 3, 1925. — Smith Brothers, Incorporated, of Dallas, Texas, will build the three-mile Lafayette Tunnel of the East Bay Municipal Utility District, running from a point near the town of Lafayette to the San Pablo Creek in the hills back of Berkeley. They were awarded the contract for $1,101,822. E. H. Reeder, chief engineer for Smith Brothers, will have general engineering supervision on the Lafayette Tunnel.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Contra Costa County, California, including its geography, geology, topography, climatography and description1882 · page 135Read the page →
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road proper should commence, running through the summit. Five hundred feet of excavation would bring the enterprise out at the other side, in Contra Costa county, and thence the road would continue down San Pablo creek, emerging from the canon not far from the village of Lafayette. We believe this matter is still being urged. The main purpose of the road is to bring the trade of a large and productive portion of Contra Costa to Oakland. Were the road in operation, it is contended that that city would be
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Contra Costa County, California, including its geography, geology, topography, climatography and description1882 · page 443Read the page →
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In 1853, Milo J. Hough, at present residing near Walnut Creek, settled in Lafayette, and built a hotel there in that year, which he conducted until his removal in 1855. Here, too, in 1853, was erected the first grist mill in the county. Mr. Brown, feeling that the journeys to San Jose with grist were somewhat of an undertaking, purchased a horse-power mill at Benicia.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Contra Costa County, California1926 · page 919Read the page →
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twenty-seven years, but lost considerable money because his first lease was not profitable. Relinquishing his business in 1919, he founded the Pittsburg Pioneer Dairy Company, which buys milk from the dairy farmers as far south as Byron and west to Lafayette, running eight big trucks and two teams to gather the product and bring it to his plant, where it is prepared for distribution and manufactured into various milk products.
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.
By decade
Lafayette, decade by decade
One decade in the archive so far: the 1980s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
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 1848, according to Wikidata. Lafayette’s post office opened in 1854, and the census of 1960 counted 7,114 people here.
How does Lafayette rank for history?
Lafayette is more historic than 40% of U.S. towns, #223 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 Lafayette?
4% of Lafayette’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.0 points), against a typical 3.4% for a California town; the median home was built in 1960.
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 (18), 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 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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