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C−History
History · Rio Dell

Rio Dell’s post office opened in 1876

More historic than 21% of U.S. towns · #446 of 847 in California. What drives it

Most of Rio Dell was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1977. Below: maps from 1949 on and the census since 1890.

1876first post office
0on the National Register
4%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Ellin Beltz · Public domain
Quick answers

How Rio Dell began

When was Rio Dell founded?

1876

The Rio Dell post office opened in 1876, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1965.

First census: 213 in 18902020 census: 3,379150 years

How historic is Rio Dell?

C−

More historic than 21% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Rio Dell post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1965.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Rio Dell’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Rio Dell is more historic than 21% of U.S. towns, #446 of 847 in California. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Rio Dell’s overall grade.
Founding era1876, from the first post office: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 19404.0% of homes (±3.5) · typical CA town 3.4% · U.S. 8.4%CNational RegisterNo listings counted · typical CA town 0.0 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 21%
NewerOlder
California towns of 2,500+ (847)Ahead of 47%

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 Rio Dell’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 still be C−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.5 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata gives 1965.

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 Rio Dell’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Rio Dell are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Rio Dell’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Rio Dell’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story

How Rio Dell came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Rio Dell.

Read it all →

Rio Dell was founded and named by businessman Lorenzo Painter, who devised the name as a merging of Spanish río ("river") and English dell ("small wooded valley").

Originally settled on the territories of the Wiyot, Nongatl, and Mattole tribes, Rio Dell was reportedly first dubbed "Tokemuk" by native inhabitants of the land who were thought to be of multiple regional tribes and who uniquely spoke at least two different regional languages. The native presence was greatly diminished following the 1860 Wiyot massacre on Indian Island that extended south to the Eel river valley where Rio Dell is located. From there, the area became known as Eagle Prairie and finally as Rio Dell.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Rio Dell, decade by decade

Today15 recent
2022-1221 Ferndale Quake Rio Dell House Damage 120222022-1221 Ferndale Quake Rio Dell House Damage 1Rio Dell CA Wildwood Drive.jpg 20182018Rio Dell CA Wildwood Drive.jpg 2018Paul E. Mudgett Memorial bridge CALTRANS2015Paul E. Mudgett Memorial bridge CALTRANSBenchmark2015Benchmark620 Mailbox2015620 MailboxRio Dell CA Wildwood Drive 20142014Rio Dell CA Wildwood Drive 2014Rio Dell CA Eagle Prairie Bridge2014Rio Dell CA Eagle Prairie BridgeRio Dell CA Wildwood Drive 20122012Rio Dell CA Wildwood Drive 2012Rio Dell CA Welcome Sign2012Rio Dell CA Welcome SignRio Dell CA Redwood Stump2012Rio Dell CA Redwood StumpRio Dell CA RTA Transit Kiosk2012Rio Dell CA RTA Transit KioskRio Dell CA Library & Chamber2012Rio Dell CA Library & ChamberRio Dell CA City Hall2012Rio Dell CA City HallRio Dell CA Bocce Courts2012Rio Dell CA Bocce Courts2010 Census Urban Cluster Reference Map for20102010 Census Urban Cluster Reference Map forBook
On the map

Rio Dell on the map, 1949 to 1961

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Rio Dell. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Rio Dell on the 1949 USGS mapRio Dell on the 1958 USGS mapRio Dell on the 1961 USGS map1949Eureka sheet · 1:250,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Rio Dell.

People over time

Rio Dell, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,50019001920194019601980200020203,379

Grew from 213 people in 1890 to 3,379 in 2020, more than tenfold.

9 censuses, 1890–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Rio Dell’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

Famous people close to Rio Dell

Nobody well known was born in Rio Dell itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
S
Sara BareillesAmerican recording artist; pop rock singer-song… · b. 1979
M
Mike PattonAmerican singer · b. 1968
Steve CochranAmerican actor · b. 1917
Trevor DunnAmerican bassist · b. 1968
Frank FergusonAmerican actor · b. 1899
K
Kevin StillAmerican rower · b. 1960
Places that used to be

Old corners

Rio Dell’s post office has been open since 1876.

Hamlets and corners on the map
BelleviewStone

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

ScotiaIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Rio Dell’s history

What year was Rio Dell founded?

The Rio Dell post office opened in 1876, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1965.

How does Rio Dell rank for history?

Rio Dell is more historic than 21% of U.S. towns, #446 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 Rio Dell?

4% of Rio Dell’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.5 points), against a typical 3.4% for a California town; the median home was built in 1977.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

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 (15), 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.