More historic than 19% of U.S. towns · #488 of 847 in California. What drives it
Most of Rollingwood was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1953. Below: maps from 1895 on and the census since 2000.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Rollingwood is more historic than 19% of U.S. towns, #488 of 847 in California. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Rollingwood’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 Rollingwood’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 is a Census survey estimate (±5.0 points).
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 Rollingwood’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The federal government contracted David Bohannon, one of the nation's lead mass production developers, to develop Rollingwood. Federal officials approved bank loans to finance construction, requiring that the homes not be sold to African-Americans.
In 1952, Wilbur Gary, an African-American navy war veteran, former shipyard worker, and building contractor, purchased a home in Rollingwood from fellow navy war veteran Lieutenant Commander Sidney Hogan. Gary's purchase provoked anger among residents of the formerly all-white town. Soon after the Garys arrived, a mob of 300 white residents gathered in front of Gary's house. The mob shouted racial epithets, hurled a brick through the family's window, and burned a cross on their front lawn.
Rollingwood is more historic than 19% of U.S. towns, #488 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 Rollingwood?
5% of Rollingwood’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.0 points), against a typical 3.4% for a California town; the median home was built in 1953.
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 Wikipedia, 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.
