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DHistory
History · North Tustin

Half of North Tustin’s homes were built after 1965

More historic than 11% of U.S. towns · #659 of 847 in California. What drives it

Most of North Tustin was built recently: 1% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1965. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1896 on, and the census since 1970.

0on the National Register
1%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
From North Tustin’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

About North Tustin’s history

How historic is North Tustin?

D

More historic than 11% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
History grade

What drives North Tustin’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, North Tustin is more historic than 11% of U.S. towns, #659 of 847 in California. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of North Tustin’s overall grade.
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 11%
NewerOlder
California towns of 2,500+ (847)Ahead of 22%

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 Tustin’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 (±0.8 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 Tustin’s past

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

★ What stands out · Help out

Start North Tustin’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how North Tustin’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
On the map

North Tustin on the map, 1896 to 1981

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

North Tustin on the 1896 USGS mapNorth Tustin on the 1901 USGS mapNorth Tustin on the 1932 USGS mapNorth Tustin on the 1949 USGS mapNorth Tustin on the 1950 USGS mapNorth Tustin on the 1964 USGS mapNorth Tustin on the 1972 USGS mapNorth Tustin on the 1981 USGS map1896Anaheim 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 Tustin.

The story so far

North Tustin, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of North Tustin yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

North Tustin is an unincorporated community in Orange County, California. The population was 25,718 at the 2020 census, up from 24,917 in 2010. For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined North Tustin as a census-designated place (CDP). It is both the largest CDP and largest unincorporated community in Orange County. The CDP's name was changed from Tustin Foothills in 2005. Located outside the city limits of Tustin, North Tustin has 92705 and 92780 ZIP Codes.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 24,917 to 25,718 (+3%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

By decade

North Tustin, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1960s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1970s–1990snothing yet
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.
Add from your album
Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Fairhaven-Newhaven
Retake this viewFairhaven-Newhaven, c. 1960

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on North Tustin’s page.

Retake this view · +15
People over time

North Tustin, census by census

05,00010,00015,00020,00025,000198020002020Peak: 26,598

Between 24,044 and 26,598 people in every census since 1970.

6 censuses, 1970–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on North Tustin’s Wikipedia page.

Places that used to be

Old corners

Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Cowan HeightsLemon HeightsPanorama Heights

Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Questions about North Tustin’s history

How does North Tustin rank for history?

North Tustin is more historic than 11% of U.S. towns, #659 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 Tustin?

1% of North Tustin’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 3.4% for a California town; the median home was built in 1965.

Memory lane

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

Town Square →
Start a conversation
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).

From Wikimedia Commons (3), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) 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.