On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Piñon Hills is more historic than 16% of U.S. towns, #572 of 847 in California. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Piñon Hills’ 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 Piñon Hills’ 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 two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.4 points).
Founding year: our sources. 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 Piñon Hills’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
Desert Springs
1949–1959
Desmont
1959–1962
Pinon Hills
1962–today
19401980today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Deer HavenMountain Top JunctionPinon Hills EstatesWildhorse CanyonYucca Inn
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
On the map
Piñon Hills on the map, 1903 to 1995
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Piñon Hills. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1903San Antonio sheet · 1:62,500
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Piñon Hills.
The story so far
Piñon Hills, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Piñon Hills yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Piñon Hills (from piñón, Spanish for 'pine nut') is a census-designated place in San Bernardino County, California, near the Los Angeles County line. It is located along Pearblossom Highway, 28 miles east of Palmdale, and 15 miles west of the Cajon Pass where Pearblossom Highway meets Interstate 15. The town lies within 25 miles of Hesperia and Victorville. Piñon Hills is in a tri-community that consists of Piñon Hills, Phelan, and Wrightwood. The elevation is 4,173 feet (1,272 m). The population was 7,258 at the 2020 census.
Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 7,272 in 2010, 7,258 in 2020.
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Piñon Hills, 1903 to 1962
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Piñon Hills is more historic than 16% of U.S. towns, #572 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 Piñon Hills?
3% of Piñon Hills’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.4 points), against a typical 3.4% for a California town; the median home was built in 1992.
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 U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.
