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New Cuyama from Cessna 172, 20250526Photo: Eric Shalov · CC BY 4.0
–Not graded
History · New Cuyama

New Cuyama’s post office opened in 1953

Most of New Cuyama was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1956. Below: maps from 1943 on.

1953first post office
0on the National Register
0.0%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Eric Shalov · CC BY 4.0
Quick answers

How New Cuyama began

When was New Cuyama founded?

1953

The New Cuyama post office opened in 1953, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 54273 years
Founding year: the first New Cuyama post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about New Cuyama’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of New Cuyama are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of New Cuyama’s homes were built before 1956.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start New Cuyama’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how New Cuyama’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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The story

How New Cuyama came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of New Cuyama.

Read it all →

The area was considered territory of the Yokuts people, but Chumash Indians from the Pacific Coast are also known to have frequented the area. The imprint of an old Indian trail can still be seen leading over the hills of present-day Ventura County to the headwaters of Piru Creek. The name "Cuyama" comes from an Indian village named for the Chumash word kuyam, meaning "clam" or "freshwater mollusk".

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

New Cuyama, decade by decade

Today7 recent
New Cuyama from Cessna 1722025New Cuyama from Cessna 172New Cuyama California Airport Main Runway2022New Cuyama California Airport Main Runway190304 0591newCuyama2022190304 0591newCuyamaNew Cuyama, California2015New Cuyama, CaliforniaNew Cuyama, California2015New Cuyama, CaliforniaNew Cuyama, California2015New Cuyama, CaliforniaUntitled photo2007Untitled photo
On the map

New Cuyama on the map, 1943 to 1995

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of New Cuyama. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

New Cuyama on the 1943 USGS mapNew Cuyama on the 1964 USGS mapNew Cuyama on the 1988 USGS mapNew Cuyama on the 1995 USGS map1943Cuyama Ranch sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of New Cuyama.

Famous people

Famous people close to New Cuyama

Nobody well known was born in New Cuyama itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Jeanne CooperAmerican actress · b. 1928
Ronald GrahamAmerican mathematician · b. 1935
Dennis FimpleAmerican actor · b. 1940
L
Loren CunninghamAmerican missionary · b. 1935
S
Sam AndrewAmerican musician/singer/songwriter/composer/ar… · b. 1941
Ed Fitz GeraldAmerican baseball player and coach · b. 1924

Questions about New Cuyama’s history

What year was New Cuyama founded?

The New Cuyama post office opened in 1953, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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Sources

Where this page comes from

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). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (7), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps and the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.