Live Oak’s post office opened in 1874, and 1 of its places is on the National Register
More historic than 46% of U.S. towns · #178 of 847 in California. What drives it
Most of Live Oak was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1995. 1 place in town is on the National Register, among them a historic district with 8 buildings. Below: maps from 1893 on and the census since 1950.
Founding year: the first Live Oak post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1947.
History grade
What drives Live Oak’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Live Oak is more historic than 46% of U.S. towns, #178 of 847 in California. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Live Oak’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 Live Oak’s 8.6 sits above most of its state (91% of California towns have fewer) while its 8 historic buildings outnumber those of 74% 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. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata gives 1947.
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 Live Oak’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Live Oak. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1912Gridley 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 Live Oak.
Every building
Live Oak, building by building, 1893–1921
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.
Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
The story so far
Live Oak, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Live Oak yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Live Oak is an incorporated city in Sutter County, California, United States. It is part of the Yuba City Metropolitan Statistical Area within the Greater Sacramento CSA, and includes a hamlet historically named Stafford. The population was 9,106 at the 2020 census, up from 8,392 at the 2010 census.
Its first post office opened in 1874. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 8,392 to 9,106 (+9%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Live Oak’s history
What year was Live Oak founded?
The Live Oak post office opened in 1874, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1947.
How does Live Oak rank for history?
Live Oak is more historic than 46% of U.S. towns, #178 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 Live Oak?
One place: the Live Oak Historic Commercial District (listed 1998).
How old are the homes in Live Oak?
3% of Live Oak’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 1995.
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 (7), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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.
2024
2024
2019
2014
2013
2010
2009
