More historic than 8% of U.S. towns · #744 of 847 in California. What drives it
Most of Oakhurst was built recently: 1% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1980. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1953 on, and the census since 2000.
The Oakhurst post office opened in 1912, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Fresno Flats (1873), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 2,868 in 20002020 census: 5,945114 years
How historic is Oakhurst?
D
More historic than 8% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Oakhurst post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Oakhurst’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Oakhurst is more historic than 8% of U.S. towns, #744 of 847 in California. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Oakhurst’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 Oakhurst’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 still be D. The pre-1940 share (±2.2 points) is firm at this size. 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 Oakhurst’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Oakhurst was a common meeting ground for the Miwoks, Yokuts, and Monos before the time of the California Gold Rush.
Many Native Californians were displaced by white settlers following the enactment of the Act for the Government and Protection of Indians in 1850. This act facilitated the removal and displacement of Native Californian Indians from their traditional lands, and led to the Mariposa War, the first battle of which was fought near present-day Oakhurst on January 11, 1851. By June 1851, most Native Americans in the region had been relocated to the Fresno River Farm Reservation, opening the region to the first permanent white settlers.
The Oakhurst post office opened in 1912, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Oakhurst rank for history?
Oakhurst is more historic than 8% of U.S. towns, #744 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 Oakhurst?
1% of Oakhurst’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.2 points), against a typical 3.4% for a California town; the median home was built in 1980.
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 (6), 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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