Half of North Richmond’s homes were built after 1992
More historic than 16% of U.S. towns · #547 of 847 in California. What drives it
Most of North Richmond was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1992. Below: maps from 1895 on and old-book passages.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, North Richmond is more historic than 16% of U.S. towns, #547 of 847 in California. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of North Richmond’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 North Richmond’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 two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share (±2.4 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: our sources. 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 North Richmond’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 North Richmond. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1895San Francisco sheet · 1:62,500
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of North Richmond.
The area of North Richmond was populated by Ohlone tribes which settled the area in the 6th century. However, Hokan speaking people may have inhabited the area even earlier, and archaeological evidence shows human settlement to have begun at least by 4000 BC. The Ohlone tribesmen subsisted from hunter-gathering the bountiful amount of land and sea life of the area. Especially the great amounts of seafood made available along the coastline of Castro Cove and the surrounding marshlands and delta of Wildcat and San Pablo creeks. The majority of present-day North Richmond was territory of the Karkin tribe (or Carquinez) however the land lies on what was a border area with the Chocheño tribe and likely had influences of both groups. The tribes made great use of the salmon and trout runs on the rivers. However, today, culverting and damming has decimated the habitat for these species and they…
Passages that mention North Richmond, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Contra Costa County, California1926 · page 1039Read the page →
Read the text
built in the diocese without incurring indebtedness to be paid off at a later period. In 1923 the Pinole church was included in the Rodeo parish, leaving San Pablo by itself, which included Giant, East Richmond, San Pablo Creek, Grand Canyon and North Richmond. There are now 417 families in the parish and there is not a dollar of indebtedness. When the San Pablo parish was organized Juan B. Alvarado donated the two acres of ground for the church and cemetery and other buildings.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
By decade
No old photos in the archives yet
Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
North Richmond is more historic than 16% of U.S. towns, #547 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 North Richmond?
4% of North Richmond’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.4 points), against a typical 3.4% for a California town; the median home was built in 1992.
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 Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
