Marina’s post office opened in 1916, and 2 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 25% of U.S. towns · #386 of 847 in California. What drives it
Most of Marina was built recently: 0.9% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1981. Its Register listings are the Peter J. Bontadelli House and the Fort Ord Station Veterinary Hospital. Its Register listings are the Peter J. Bontadelli House and the Fort Ord Station Veterinary Hospital. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1913 on, and the census since 1960.
Founding year: the first Marina post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1975.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Marina’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Marina is more historic than 25% of U.S. towns, #386 of 847 in California. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
C
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Marina’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 Marina’s 3.1 sits above most of its state (84% of California towns have fewer) while its 7 historic buildings outnumber those of 73% 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 (±0.9 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata gives 1975.
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 Marina’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
William Locke-Paddon founded the town on 1,500 acres (6.1 km2) of land he bought for the purpose. The Marina post office opened in 1916. Marina incorporated in 1975. The city's history is intertwined with that of Fort Ord. Fort Ord lands were used as an infantry training center since the Mexican–American War. Major growth took place in 1938 with the first joint Army and Navy maneuvers held in 1940.
Fort Ord was selected in 1991 for decommissioning, and the post formally closed after troop reassignment in 1994. In July 1994, the California State University, Monterey Bay, began its first academic year, and barracks were soon transformed into dorms.
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.
The Marina post office opened in 1916, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1975.
How does Marina rank for history?
Marina is more historic than 25% of U.S. towns, #386 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 Marina?
Two places: the Peter J. Bontadelli House (listed 1980) and the Fort Ord Station Veterinary Hospital (2014).
How old are the homes in Marina?
0.9% of Marina’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 3.4% for a California town; the median home was built in 1981.
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 (6), the National Register of Historic Places (2), 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) 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.
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