More historic than 17% of U.S. towns · #545 of 847 in California. What drives it
Most of Rosamond was built recently: 1% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1994. Below: maps from 1947 on and the census since 1970.
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1886.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Rosamond’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Rosamond is more historic than 17% of U.S. towns, #545 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 Rosamond’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 Rosamond’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 range from D to C−. The pre-1940 share (±1.0 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1877.
Founding year: Wikipedia (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 Rosamond’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Rosamond was established in 1877 as a townsite owned by the Southern Pacific Railroad; it was named for the daughter of one of the railroad's officials. The first local industries were mining and cattle. During the 1890s, gold was discovered in the area, quickly drawing miners and prospectors. After the initial boom, gold mining gradually declined, though it had a second, smaller boom during the 1930s. In 1933, Muroc Army Air Field was established some 20 miles (32 km) miles away; it was later renamed Edwards Air Force Base in honor of fallen test pilot Glenn Edwards.
The Rosamond post office opened in 1885, closed in 1887, and re-opened in 1888.
Passages that mention Rosamond, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Kern County, California, with biographical sketches of the leading men and women of the county who have been identified with its growth and development from the early days to the present1914 · page 193Read the page →
Read the text
Rosamond Rosamond is a station on the Southern Pacific fourteen miles south of Mojave, near the southern line of the county. The first store was opened about 1888 bv a man bv name of Hyde and Miss Sarah Haves. C. P. Sutton
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Kern County, California, with biographical sketches of the leading men and women of the county who have been identified with its growth and development from the early days to the present1914 · page 1497Read the page →
Read the text
eles until feurteen years of age. He then joined his father, who had discovered the Lido mine in Antelope valley, and continued to devote his time to its development until it was sold. His father having completed the Hamilton hotel at Rosamond, a large modern fireproof building, he became its proprietor January 15, 1912, and on March 14, 1912, he was appointed postmaster at Rosamond, the ofifice being in the hotel, as is also the telephone office. In connection with the above he is also a dealer in hay and grain, gasoline and oils, and conducts an auto livery.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Timeline
Rosamond, 1877 to 1947
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Rosamond’s history
What year was Rosamond founded?
In 1877, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Rosamond’s post office opened in 1886, and the census of 1970 counted 2,281 people here.
How does Rosamond rank for history?
Rosamond is more historic than 17% of U.S. towns, #545 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 Rosamond?
1% of Rosamond’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.0 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, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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