More historic than 29% of U.S. towns · #345 of 847 in California. What drives it
Most of Newman was built recently: 10% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2000. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1894 on, and the census since 1890.
Founding year: the first Newman post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1908.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Newman’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Newman is more historic than 29% of U.S. towns, #345 of 847 in California. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Newman’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 Newman’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 any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to C. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.2 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata gives 1908.
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 Newman’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
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.
Simon Newman was born as Simon Neumann in Willmars, Bavaria, German Confederation in 1846. In 1862, the young Jew decided to emigrate to California, where his sister Fanny Wangenheim had already lived. Initially speaking only German and Hebrew, he then learned English and translated his family name to Newman. After becoming a successful businessman, he founded the town of Newman in 1888.
The Newman post office opened in 1888, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1908.
How does Newman rank for history?
Newman is more historic than 29% of U.S. towns, #345 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 Newman?
10% of Newman’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.2 points), against a typical 3.4% for a California town; the median home was built in 2000.
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), Wikipedia, 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.
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