More historic than 14% of U.S. towns · #610 of 847 in California. What drives it
Most of Running Springs was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1971. Below: maps from 1899 on and the census since 1990.
The Running Springs post office opened in 1927, the earliest record of the town by name. Two smaller post offices, Fredalba (1896) and Arrowbear Lake (1927), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 4,195 in 19902020 census: 5,26899 years
How historic is Running Springs?
D
More historic than 14% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Running Springs post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Running Springs’ History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Running Springs is more historic than 14% of U.S. towns, #610 of 847 in California. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Running Springs’ 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 Running Springs’ 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 (±2.1 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
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 Running Springs’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Running Springs. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1899Redlands 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 Running Springs.
Places that used to be
Lost post offices, old corners and places now gone
Running Springs’s post office has been open since 1927. Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
Fredalba
1896–1924
Arrowbear Lake
1927–1964
Running Springs
1927–today
18901960today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Arrowbear LakeFredalbaSmiley Park
Gone or out of use
Arrowbear Lake Post Officepost officeFredalba Post Officepost office
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
The first people to settle here were the Serrano people ("mountain people"). They got their name from Spanish priest Father Garces in 1776, but called themselves Yuhaviatam ("people of the pines"). Numerous mortar holes can be seen throughout the area, made by the Serranos grinding acorns into meal. Native Americans settled here due to the rich natural resources. They gathered acorns and herbs, also hunting deer, rabbits and other wildlife.
Running Springs was originally known as Hunsaker Flats, named for Abraham Hunsaker, an early member of the Mormon Battalion. The area was developed after improvements to the state highways in the 1920s.
Between 4,195 and 5,268 people in every census since 1990.
4 censuses, 1990–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Running Springs’ Wikipedia page.
Questions about Running Springs’ history
What year was Running Springs founded?
The Running Springs post office opened in 1927, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Running Springs rank for history?
Running Springs is more historic than 14% of U.S. towns, #610 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 Running Springs?
6% of Running Springs’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.1 points), against a typical 3.4% for a California town; the median home was built in 1971.
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), 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.
