Petaluma’s post office opened in 1852, and 11% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 65% of U.S. towns · #79 of 847 in California. What drives it
9 places in town are on the National Register, among them the Petaluma Adobe, a National Historic Landmark, and a historic district with 63 buildings. Below: 7 old photos and papers, maps from 1885 on, and the census since 1880.
Founding year: the first Petaluma post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1858.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Petaluma’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Petaluma is more historic than 65% of U.S. towns, #79 of 847 in California. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
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HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Petaluma’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 Petaluma’s 12.0 sits above most of its state (92% of California towns have fewer) while its 71 historic buildings outnumber those of 87% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to A−. The pre-1940 share (±1.4 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1858 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 Petaluma’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Every building
Petaluma, building by building, 1885–1910
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
The Coast Miwok resided throughout Marin and southern Sonoma County. The village of Péta Lúuma (Coast Miwok for "backside of the hill", or "sloping ridge") was east of the Petaluma River, with a number of other Coast Miwok villages nearby: Wotoki was immediately to the south of Péta Lúuma, on the opposite side of the river; Etem, Likatiut, and Tuchayalin were near today's downtown; and Tulme and Susuli were just north of today's city limits.
Passages that mention Petaluma, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Sonoma County, California, with biographical sketches of the leading men and women of the county, who have been identified with its growth and development from the early days to the present time1911 · page 540Read the page →
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outdoor life which was his during his boyhood gave him a good start in life physically and undoubtedly has been the secret of his great power of endurance. During his youth the family residence was transferred to San Francisco, and still later to Petaluma, and in both of these places he attended school, the greater part of his common school training, however, having been received in his home town of Petaluma. Naturally ambitious and eager to begin the practical work of life, as soon as his school days were over he secured a position as bank clerk in a bank at Petaluma, and during his incumbency of this posi-
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Sonoma County, California, with biographical sketches of the leading men and women of the county, who have been identified with its growth and development from the early days to the present time1911 · page 1020Read the page →
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Frank B. Singley was educated in the public schools of Petaluma, and began his railroad career at the age of seventeen years with the San Francisco & North Pacific Railroad in the train service. Subsequently he was appointed local agent at Petaluma, and from here he was transferred to the general office of the Northwestern Pacific Railroad in San Francisco, where, at the time of his retirement in July, 1910, he held the position of auditor of the company.
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An illustrated history of Sonoma County, California. Containing a history of the county of Sonoma from the earliest period of its occupancy to the present time1889 · page 243Read the page →
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August, 1855, to August, 1866, gives the progress made up to that date, and the names of most of those identified with the founding of Petaluma. We now give a resume of the most important events historic of both Petaluma Township and the city of Petaluma.
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An illustrated history of Sonoma County, California. Containing a history of the county of Sonoma from the earliest period of its occupancy to the present time1889 · page 138Read the page →
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jected. The land was then declared subject to entry as go\ernmeut land. The outside lands were so entei'cd, and the lands embraced within the city of Petaluma were entered in lots under what is known as the "town site bill." Now it was that Valentine went to Congress and sought the passage of a special bill to restore the Miranda grant to a hearing in court, claim-
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
Petaluma, 1834 to 2005
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
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.
The Petaluma post office opened in 1852, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1858.
How does Petaluma rank for history?
Petaluma is more historic than 65% of U.S. towns, #79 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.
What is on the National Register in Petaluma?
9 listings: 8 buildings, among them the Petaluma Adobe (a National Historic Landmark since 1970), and 1 historic district, the Petaluma Historic Commercial District, with 63 contributing buildings. 71 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Petaluma?
11% of Petaluma’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.4 points), against a typical 3.4% for a California town; the median home was built in 1979.
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 the Library of Congress (7), Wikidata (5), the National Register of Historic Places (9), 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, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) 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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