More historic than 10% of U.S. towns · #671 of 847 in California. What drives it
Most of Paramount was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1971. Below: maps from 1896 on and the census since 1960.
The Paramount post office opened in 1948, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1957. Two smaller post offices, Hynes (1858) and Clearwater (1888), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
First census: 27,249 in 19602020 census: 53,73378 years
How historic is Paramount?
D
More historic than 10% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Paramount post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1957.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Paramount’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Paramount is more historic than 10% of U.S. towns, #671 of 847 in California. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Paramount’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 Paramount’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 (±1.7 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1957 falls in the same era, so the grade doesn’t depend on which one is used.
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 Paramount’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The city today known as Paramount was originally identified in 1781 by Mexican settlers of New Spain. It was organized under two old Spanish Ranchos; on the west, Rancho San Pedro, and on the east, Rancho Los Nietos (now portions of the cities of Santa Fe Springs and Whittier). These ranchos were established under the Spanish Empire and granted by King Carlos III in 1784.
The Paramount post office opened in 1948, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1957.
How does Paramount rank for history?
Paramount is more historic than 10% of U.S. towns, #671 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 Paramount?
5% of Paramount’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.7 points), against a typical 3.4% for a California town; the median home was built in 1971.
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 (1), 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) 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.
2023