More historic than 16% of U.S. towns · #558 of 847 in California. What drives it
Most of Palmdale was built recently: 1% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1989. Below: 3 old photos and papers, maps from 1918 on, and the census since 1960.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1888.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Palmdale’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Palmdale is more historic than 16% of U.S. towns, #558 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 Palmdale’s overall grade.
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Palmdale ranks #360 on History.
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 Palmdale’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.
Newer cities are common at Palmdale’s size: in the typical U.S. city of 100,000 or more, 5% of homes predate 1940.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to C−. The pre-1940 share (±0.4 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1886.
Founding year: Wikidata (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 Palmdale’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Palmdale was first inhabited by various tribal pre-Americans. Populated by different groups for an estimated 11,000 years, the Antelope Valley was a trade route for nomadic pre-Americans traveling from what is now Arizona and New Mexico to California's coast. Before the arrival of Europeans, the Palmdale area had been occupied by the Kitanemuk. The Yokuts, Chumash people and Shoshone may have also been present in the area.
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.
In 1886, according to Wikidata. Palmdale’s post office opened in 1888, and the census of 1960 counted 11,522 people here.
How does Palmdale rank for history?
Palmdale is more historic than 16% of U.S. towns, #558 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 Palmdale?
1% of Palmdale’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 3.4% for a California town; the median home was built in 1989.
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), the Library of Congress (2), 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 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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