Most of Romoland was built recently: 1% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1994. Below: maps from 1942 on and the census since 1980.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Romoland is more historic than 11% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
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HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Romoland’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 Romoland’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 (±1.8 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 Romoland’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
On June 25, 1900, the first Ethanac Post Office was established across Highway 74, named after Ethan Allen Chase (an early settler to the area), with John Gaston serving as
the first postmaster. In 1925, the town of Ethanac changed to "Romola Farms", developed by the Pacific Mutual Life Insurance Company. The developer sold off small ranches of four to five acres for the cultivation of fig trees, and grapes. The project became so popular that the Ethanac post office would be changed to Romola Farms. When the Post Office Department requested the name change, to avoid confusion with San Diego County's Ramona post office, the name was changed for a final time to Romoland. The origin of the development of the name has never been revealed.
Romoland is more historic than 11% 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 Romoland?
1% of Romoland’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.8 points), against a typical 3.4% for a California town; the median home was built in 1994.
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), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps and U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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