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DHistory
History · Rolling Hills

Rolling Hills dates to 1957

More historic than 8% of U.S. towns. What drives it

Most of Rolling Hills was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1960. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1896 on, and the census since 1960.

1957founded
0on the National Register
3%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Rolling Hills’ archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Rolling Hills began

When was Rolling Hills founded?

1957

Rolling Hills dates its founding to 1957 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1960.

First census: 1,664 in 19602020 census: 1,73969 years

How historic is Rolling Hills?

D

More historic than 8% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata.
History grade

What drives Rolling Hills’ History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Rolling Hills is more historic than 8% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.

D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Rolling Hills’ overall grade.
Founding era1957, from Wikidata: founded 1945 or later, an older era than 2% of U.S. townsD−Homes built before 19403.4% of homes (±2.0) · typical CA town 3.4% · U.S. 8.4%C−National 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 8%
NewerOlder

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 Rolling Hills’ 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 range from D− to C−. The pre-1940 share (±2.0 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1957.

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 Rolling Hills’ past

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

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18967 editions of the USGS map, 1896 to 1981. Watch Rolling Hills change.Old housesHalf of Rolling Hills’ homes were built before 1960.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Rolling Hills’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Rolling Hills’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo1 archive item has no date. Guess the decade.+2Retake an old viewMary DeNeale Morgan: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Rolling Hills on the map, 1896 to 1981

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

Rolling Hills on the 1896 USGS mapRolling Hills on the 1925 USGS mapRolling Hills on the 1942 USGS mapRolling Hills on the 1951 USGS mapRolling Hills on the 1964 USGS mapRolling Hills on the 1972 USGS mapRolling Hills on the 1981 USGS map1896Redondo 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 Rolling Hills.

The story so far

Rolling Hills, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Rolling Hills yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Rolling Hills is a city on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Rolling Hills is a gated community with private roads with three entry gates. Homes are single-story and built in the 19th-century California ranch or Spanish hacienda styles exemplified by architect Wallace Neff. Incorporated in 1957, Rolling Hills maintains a rural and equestrian character, with no traffic lights, multi-acre lots with ample space between homes, and wide equestrian paths along streets and property lines. Rolling Hills has the third highest median house value in the United States. Homes are required to have white exterior paint. Homeowners are also required to maintain h…

Rolling Hills was established in 1957. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 1,860 to 1,739 (-7%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

Timeline

Rolling Hills, 1896 to 1987

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1896On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  3. 20th century
  4. 1957
    FoundingRolling Hills is established
  5. 1986Born hereErik Lorig is born here
  6. 1987Born hereColin Baxter is born here
By decade

Rolling Hills, decade by decade

Date unknown1 to date
Mary DeNeale MorganDate?Mary DeNeale Morgan
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.

Mary DeNeale Morgan
Retake this viewMary DeNeale Morgan

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Rolling Hills’ page.

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Rolling Hills, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0001960198020002020Peak: 2,050

Between 1,664 and 2,050 people in every census since 1960.

7 censuses, 1960–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Rolling Hills’ Wikipedia page.

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Rolling Hills

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
C
Colin BaxterAmerican football player · b. 1987
E
Erik LorigPlayer of American football · b. 1986
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Rancho Palos Verdes3 historic placesC−Rolling Hills EstatesIts storyD−

Questions about Rolling Hills’ history

What year was Rolling Hills founded?

In 1957, according to Wikidata. the census of 1960 counted 1,664 people here.

How does Rolling Hills rank for history?

Rolling Hills is more historic than 8% of U.S. towns. 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 Rolling Hills?

3% of Rolling Hills’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.0 points), against a typical 3.4% for a California town; the median home was built in 1960.

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 (1), 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.