More historic than 7% of U.S. towns · #758 of 847 in California. What drives it
Most of Pollock Pines was built recently: 1% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1977. Below: maps from 1950 on and the census since 1980.
Founding year: the first Pollock Pines post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Pollock Pines’ History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Pollock Pines is more historic than 7% of U.S. towns, #758 of 847 in California. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Pollock Pines’ 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 Pollock Pines’ 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 still be D. The pre-1940 share (±1.3 points) is firm at this size. 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 Pollock Pines’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
One of the original Pony Express stations, Twelve Mile House, was located in Pollock Pines. The location was covered by the restaurant Sportsman's Hall. The "Hall", originally opened in 1852 by John and James Blair, who had emigrated from Scotland, still operates today. It is the site of California Registered Historical Landmark #704, which reads: "This was the site of Sportsman's Hall, also known as Twelve-Mile House, the hotel operated in the latter 1850s and 1860s by John and James Blair. A stopping place for stages and teams of the Comstock, it became a relay station of the Central Overland Pony Express. Here, at 7:40 A.M., April 4, 1860, pony rider William (Sam) Hamilton riding in from Placerville, handed the express mail to Warren Upson, who, two minutes later, sped on his way eastward."
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Pollock Pines. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1950Pollock Pines sheet · 1:24,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Pollock Pines.
People over time
Pollock Pines, census by census
Grew from 1,941 people in 1980 to 7,112 in 2020, 3 times over.
5 censuses, 1980–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Pollock Pines’ Wikipedia page.
Stories next door
History across the town line
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
The Pollock Pines post office opened in 1936, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Pollock Pines rank for history?
Pollock Pines is more historic than 7% of U.S. towns, #758 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 Pollock Pines?
1% of Pollock Pines’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.3 points), against a typical 3.4% for a California town; the median home was built in 1977.
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 (2), 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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