Half of Rancho Murieta’s homes were built after 1990
More historic than 5% of U.S. towns · #768 of 847 in California. What drives it
Most of Rancho Murieta was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1990. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1954 on, and the census since 1990.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Rancho Murieta is more historic than 5% of U.S. towns, #768 of 847 in California. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
D−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Rancho Murieta’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 Rancho Murieta’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 two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share (±0.8 points) is firm at this size.
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 Rancho Murieta’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Rancho Murieta yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Rancho Murieta is a census-designated place (CDP) and guard-gated community in Sacramento County, California, United States. It is part of the Sacramento–Arden-Arcade–Roseville Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 5,903 at the 2020 census, up from 5,488 at the 2010 census. It is located in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada range, about 25 miles (40 km) east of Sacramento.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 5,488 to 5,903 (+8%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Rancho Murieta. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1954Folsom SE 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 Rancho Murieta.
Then & now
Stand where they stood
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.
Retake this viewRancho Murieta, south entrance sign
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Rancho Murieta’s page.
Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.
Hamlets and corners on the map
Live Oak
Gone or out of use
Michigan Bar Pitmine
1cemetery inside Rancho Murieta
Michigan Bar
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Rancho Murieta’s history
How does Rancho Murieta rank for history?
Rancho Murieta is more historic than 5% of U.S. towns, #768 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 Rancho Murieta?
0.0% of Rancho Murieta’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 3.4% for a California town; the median home was built in 1990.
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), 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?
2009
