Rancho Palos Verdes dates to 1973, and 3 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 22% of U.S. towns · #419 of 847 in California. What drives it
Most of Rancho Palos Verdes was built recently: 1% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1967. 3 places in town are on the National Register, among them the Wayfarers Chapel, a National Historic Landmark, and a historic district with 7 buildings. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1896 on, and the census since 1980.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Rancho Palos Verdes is more historic than 22% of U.S. towns, #419 of 847 in California. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Rancho Palos Verdes’ 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 Palos Verdes’ 2.4 sits above most of its state (82% of California towns have fewer) while its 10 historic buildings outnumber those of 76% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D− to C+. The pre-1940 share (±0.6 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1973.
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 Rancho Palos Verdes’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Rancho Palos Verdes. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1896San Pedro sheet · 1:62,500
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Rancho Palos Verdes.
On the National Register
3 listings protect 10 historic buildings
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. One is a National Historic Landmark, the highest tier.
By 1882, ownership of the land had passed from the Sepulveda family through various mortgage holders to Jotham Bixby of Rancho Los Cerritos, who leased the land to Japanese farmers. Japanese families farmed the most southern slopes, growing fields of beans, peas, and tomatoes in the area. Barley, hay, and grain were grown on the dryer northern slopes.
Frank Vanderlip, known as the "Father of Palos Verdes", representing a group of wealthy east coast investors, purchased 25 square miles of land on the Palos Verdes Peninsula in 1913 for $1.5 million. The Olmsted Brothers contracted Koebig & Koebig to perform engineering work, including surveying and road planning.
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 1973, according to Wikidata. the census of 1980 counted 36,577 people here.
How does Rancho Palos Verdes rank for history?
Rancho Palos Verdes is more historic than 22% of U.S. towns, #419 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 Rancho Palos Verdes?
Three places: the Wayfarers Chapel, the Point Vicente Light (1980) and the Villa Francesca (1986).
How old are the homes in Rancho Palos Verdes?
1% of Rancho Palos Verdes’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 3.4% for a California town; the median home was built in 1967.
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 the Library of Congress (4), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (3), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) 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.
2013
2013
2013