More historic than 18% of U.S. towns · #518 of 847 in California. What drives it
Most of Oakley was built recently: 2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1996. Below: maps from 1914 on and the census since 1970.
Founding year: the first Oakley post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1999.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Oakley’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Oakley is more historic than 18% of U.S. towns, #518 of 847 in California. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Oakley’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 Oakley’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 D to C−. The pre-1940 share (±1.3 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata gives 1999.
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 Oakley’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Archeologists have found prehistoric sites in the Oakley area. One substantial shell mound was discovered early in the 20th century near what is now the eastern edge of town. The Northwest Information Center of the California Historical Resources Information System monitors the archeological investigations undertaken in Oakley. Around three dozen such projects have been completed in the past 25 years, yielding only four prehistoric sites in the city. However, the information center believes there is a high possibility that other prehistoric sites remain within the city. To enable further archaeological excavation, the site referred to as Simon Mound was purchased by the Archaeological Conservancy after many of the ancient settlement places had already been destroyed by urban encroachment. Simone Mound has provided bones and fragments from burial sites starting around 1000 A.D. and is ne…
Passages that mention Oakley, cut from the printed page as they were published.
The history of Contra Costa County, California1917Read the page →
Read the text
to avoid the orchards as much as possible and at the same time enter Antioch by the water-front. Our nearest station was at Neroley, a flag station on the Southern Pacific Railroad, about three miles south from where Oakley now stands. Something of an effort had also been made prior to this time to get a post-office established there. It was a little premature, however, and the effort was abandoned.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The history of Contra Costa County, California1917 · page 211Read the page →
Read the text
The last of thirteen districts, but by no means the least in growing importance, is the Live Oak District, established to accommodate the population of what is known as the **sand country" and comprising the thriving and growing village of Oakley. The schoolhouse is located on the south side of the main thoroughfare leading from the town of Antioch, and is a large up-to-date structure and destined to become one of the most populous schools of the whole number. It is new, the latest addition to our educational institutions. There are no memories of the
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.
Timeline
Oakley, 1898 to 2001
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
The Oakley post office opened in 1898, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1999.
How does Oakley rank for history?
Oakley is more historic than 18% of U.S. towns, #518 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 Oakley?
2% of Oakley’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.3 points), against a typical 3.4% for a California town; the median home was built in 1996.
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, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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 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.
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