Most of Murphys was built recently: 8% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1978. Its Register listings are the Murphys Hotel and the Murphys Grammar School. Below: 8 old photos and papers, maps from 1948 on, and the census since 1980.
The Murphys post office opened in 1851, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Murphy (1894), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 1,183 in 19802020 census: 1,995175 years
How historic is Murphys?
B−
More historic than 52% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Murphys post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Murphys’ History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Murphys is more historic than 52% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Murphys’ 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 Murphys’ 10.3 sits above most of its state (92% of California towns have fewer) while its 2 listings outnumber those of 60% 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 is a Census survey estimate (±5.7 points). 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 Murphys’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The area around Murphys was originally occupied by the Miwok.
John Marion Murphy and Daniel Martin Murphy founded the town, they were part of the Murphy family and the Stephens-Townsend-Murphy Party, the first immigrant party to bring wagons across the Sierra Nevada to Sutter's Fort in 1844. They earned a living as merchants, but like many others, began prospecting when the California Gold Rush began. They first started in Vallecito, which was then known as "Murphy's Old Diggings," before moving to another location in 1848 which became "Murphys New Diggings," "Murphy's Camp," and eventually just "Murphys" in 1935.
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.
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 Murphys post office opened in 1851, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Murphys rank for history?
Murphys is more historic than 52% of U.S. towns. 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 Murphys?
Two places: the Murphys Hotel (listed 1971) and the Murphys Grammar School (1973).
How old are the homes in Murphys?
8% of Murphys’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.7 points), against a typical 3.4% for a California town; the median home was built in 1978.
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 Library of Congress (5), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikipedia, 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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