Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
More historic than 40% of U.S. towns · #223 of 847 in California. What drives it
Most of Pittsburg was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1983. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1907 on, and the census since 1890.
Pittsburg dates its founding to 1839 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1890.
More historic than 40% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Pittsburg is more historic than 40% of U.S. towns, #223 of 847 in California. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
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 Pittsburg’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.
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 →
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Pittsburg’s history is told.
Pittsburg’s post office has been open since 1911. Three other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Pittsburg. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Pittsburg.
From Wikipedia’s history of Pittsburg.
Originally settled in 1839 as Rancho Los Méganos, the area of almost 10,000 acres was issued to Californios Jose Antonio Mesa and his brother Jose Miguel under a Mexican Land Grant by then Governor Juan Bautista Alvarado, one of the final land grants issued prior to the formation of California as a state.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention Pittsburg, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Six months prior to settling in Pittsburg, Mr. Thomason was agent at Concord, Cal., for the Sacramento Short Line; then he came to Pittsburg as station agent for the same company and served for the following fifteen months. He then entered the employ of the Columbia Steel Works at Pittsburg, first as a shipping clerk, and by subsequent promotions rose to be superintendent of the finishing department. He was with this company during the World War and his term of service covered eight years. On November 1, 1924, Mr. Thomason entered the general
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The city of Pittsburg has at present (1925) an estimated population of 7500. The site of what is now Pittsburg was brought into public notice when the United States Army and Navy engineers investigated it as a possible military and naval base, but little ever came of their investigations, though a townsite was surveyed and given the name "New York of the Pacific."
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
On April i, 191 1, the Oakland, Antioch & Eastern Railway was incorporated to build a line from Bay Point to Sacramento, with a branch line about two miles long from West Pittsburg to Pittsburg. Building commenced in July, 191 2, and the line from Bay Point to Pittsburg was completed and put into operation in August, 191 3. In the meantime, the Oakland, Antioch & Eastern Railway leased the Oakland & Antioch Railway and also the San Ramon Valley Railroad, running from Saranap on the main line to Danville. Finally, in September, 1913, the Oakland,
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
These, with the Union and Independent, comprise the mines forming the basin in which the town of Somersville is situated, and from which there is a railroad to Pittsburg Landing, which takes its name from the Pittsburg mines. The Pittsburg coal mine was opened in December, 1860, and was located by George H. P. Henderson, who entered into a contract with Ezra Clark to open the mine, in the course of which the noted Clark vein was discovered. The Manhattan mine is in the same neighborhood, while a short dis-
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.
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
In the archivePittsburg, Cal., school children in first parade for Red Cross milk fund. Slogan "give us…
Born herePete Escovedo is born here
Born hereKaren Vogtmann is born here
Born hereDante Basco is born here
Born hereAaron Miles is born hereOne decade in the archive so far: the 1920s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
2023John Buckley Square
2020Pittsburg Boardwalk
2016Pittsburgcalifornia
2014Pittsburg, CA, USA - panoramio (6)
2014Pittsburg, CA, USA - panoramio (5)
2014Pittsburg, CA, USA - panoramio (41)
2014Pittsburg, CA, USA - panoramio (34)
2014Pittsburg, CA, USA - panoramio (20)
2014Pittsburg, CA, USA - panoramio (2)
2014Pittsburg, CA, USA - panoramio (19)
2014Pittsburg, CA, USA - panoramio (18)
2014Pittsburg, CA, USA - panoramio (17)
2014Pittsburg, CA, USA - panoramio (14)
2014Pittsburg, CA, USA - panoramio (13)
2014Pittsburg, CA, USA - panoramio (1)
2013Pittsburg, CA, USA
2013Pittsburg, CA, USA - panoramio (12)
2013Pittsburg, CA, USA - panoramio (10)
2013Church's Chicken
2012Untitled photoFire 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.
1911Sheet 1 of 10Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Pittsburg’s page.
Retake this view · +15Grew from 300 people in 1890 to 76,416 in 2020, more than tenfold.
14 censuses, 1890–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Pittsburg’s Wikipedia page.
Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
In 1839, according to Wikidata. Pittsburg’s post office opened in 1868, and the census of 1890 counted 300 people here.
Pittsburg is more historic than 40% of U.S. towns, #223 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.
4% of Pittsburg’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 1983.
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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 (20), the Library of Congress (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), 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.
