More historic than 24% of U.S. towns · #396 of 847 in California. What drives it
Most of Pixley was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1974. Below: maps from 1929 on and the census since 1960.
Founding year: the first Pixley post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Pixley’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Pixley is more historic than 24% of U.S. towns, #396 of 847 in California. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Pixley’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 Pixley’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 C− to C. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±5.1 points). 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 Pixley’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The town began as a real-estate-speculation in 1884. The investors Darwin C. Allen, and William B. Bradbury knew their project would succeed only if the town was connected to the mainline of the Southern Pacific. They contacted Frank M. Pixley; a man whom they knew was a friend of Leland Stanford. In 1886, Pixley joined with the original investors as a partner in the Pixley Townsite Company. The company purchased additional land in the vicinity. When The Southern Pacific extended its tracks to the Townsite, the town prospered. The terms of sale for the land was 25% down, the rest to be carried back for three years by the owners at 8 percent interest. The partners made a handsome profit.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Pixley. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1929Pixley sheet · 1:31,680
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Pixley.
People over time
Pixley, census by census
Grew from 1,327 people in 1960 to 3,828 in 2020.
7 censuses, 1960–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Pixley’s Wikipedia page.
Places that used to be
Old corners and places now gone
Pixley’s post office has been open since 1887.
Hamlets and corners on the map
Quail
Gone or out of use
Pixley Airportairport
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Pixley’s history
What year was Pixley founded?
The Pixley post office opened in 1887, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Pixley rank for history?
Pixley is more historic than 24% of U.S. towns, #396 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 Pixley?
6% of Pixley’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.1 points), against a typical 3.4% for a California town; the median home was built in 1974.
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 (4), 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.
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