Port Hueneme dates to 1871, and 2 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 41% of U.S. towns · #217 of 847 in California. What drives it
2 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 7 buildings between them. Most of Port Hueneme was built recently: 2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1974. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1904 on, and the census since 1880.
From Port Hueneme’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers
How Port Hueneme began, and where its name came from
When was Port Hueneme founded?
1871
Port Hueneme dates its founding to 1871 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1880.
First census: 166 in 18802020 census: 21,954155 years
How did Port Hueneme get its name?
The name Hueneme derives from the Spanish spelling of the Ventureño Chumash name Wene Me, meaning "Resting Place".
More on the name
In the 1800s, the postmaster named the post office Wynema after his company, Wynema Lighter Co. The town's name was officially changed to Port Hueneme in 1939 and was incorporated March 24, 1948. In July 2021, the city council approved starting the process to change the city name to Hueneme Beach.
How historic is Port Hueneme?
C+
More historic than 41% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Port Hueneme is more historic than 41% of U.S. towns, #217 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 Port Hueneme’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 Port Hueneme’s 3.2 sits above most of its state (84% of California towns have fewer) while its 7 historic buildings outnumber those of 73% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to B. The pre-1940 share (±0.9 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1871.
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 →
What stands out about Port Hueneme’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo explored this area and the adjacent Channel Islands in October 1542.
Thomas Bard learned of the submarine canyon at Point Hueneme and took advantage of the canyon depth to construct the Hueneme Wharf in 1871 here. The existing street grid of the town was formally laid out in 1888. Until the construction of the Montalvo Cutoff that brought the railroad to nearby Oxnard, the wharf was the principal means of transportation for that portion of Ventura County lying south of the Santa Clara River. Hueneme was the second-largest grain-shipping port on the Pacific Coast between 1871 and 1895.
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.
In 1871, according to Wikidata. Port Hueneme’s post office opened in 1870, and the census of 1880 counted 166 people here.
How does Port Hueneme rank for history?
Port Hueneme is more historic than 41% of U.S. towns, #217 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 Port Hueneme?
Two places: the Berylwood (listed 1977) and the Women's Improvement Club of Hueneme (1989).
How old are the homes in Port Hueneme?
2% of Port Hueneme’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), 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 (6), the Library of Congress (1), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (2), 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) 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.
Date?
2022
2020
2016
2016
2015
