More historic than 13% of U.S. towns · #621 of 847 in California. What drives it
Most of Linda was built recently: 2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1989. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1911 on, and the census since 1960.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Linda is more historic than 13% of U.S. towns, #621 of 847 in California. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Linda’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 Linda’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 two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share (±1.3 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 Linda’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.
Hamlets and corners on the map
AliciaAlpine Village Mobile Home EstatesCastlewood Mobile Home ParkPeach Mobile EstatesSouth YubaThe Garden Mobile Home ParkThunderbird Mobile Home ParkWest LindaYuba
Gone or out of use
Linda SchoolschoolMarysville Drive-Inlocale
Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
On the map
Linda on the map, 1911 to 1973
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Linda. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1911Yuba City sheet · 1:31,680
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Linda.
The townsite was originally laid out in 1850 and originally called Olivehurst by John Rose at the furthest navigable point on the Yuba River, on the south bank above Marysville. The town at that site lasted only two years before moving to its present location. The original site is buried under tailings from hydraulic mining.
Speckert Lumber and Diamond International operated a sawmill in Linda from 1937 to 1984.
In 1986, some of the property owners sued the state for damages following the collapse of a levee.
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.
Linda is more historic than 13% of U.S. towns, #621 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 Linda?
2% of Linda’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.3 points), against a typical 3.4% for a California town; the median home was built in 1989.
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 (2), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) 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.
1986
1986
