More historic than 14% of U.S. towns · #602 of 847 in California. What drives it
Most of Palo Cedro was built recently: 0.2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1978. Below: maps from 1901 on and the census since 2000.
Founding year: the first Palo Cedro post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Palo Cedro’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Palo Cedro is more historic than 14% of U.S. towns, #602 of 847 in California. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Palo Cedro’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 Palo Cedro’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 (±0.3 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 Palo Cedro’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Prior to white settlement, various Indian tribes settled and inhabited Northern California. These tribes included the Wintu, Patwins, Nozi, Pit Rivers, Hat Creeks, Shastas, Paiutes, and Modoc Indian tribes. The Wintus established their main camp on Cottonwood Creek. Penutian Indian tribes on the Pacific coast or valley included the Maidu, Miwok, Constanoan, Yokuts, Yanas, and other divisions. Historians said that, in the lower 48 continental United States, California has the most native tribes and subdivisions of tribes and more different Indian languages. The Wintus were the largest and most peaceful division that settled in Northern California and Oregon.
The Palo Cedro post office opened in 1893, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Palo Cedro rank for history?
Palo Cedro is more historic than 14% of U.S. towns, #602 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 Palo Cedro?
0.2% of Palo Cedro’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 3.4% for a California town; the median home was built in 1978.
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.
2017
2007
2007
2007
2007
2007
