Sacramento dates to 1849, and 11% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 84% of U.S. towns · #22 of 847 in California. What drives it
79 places in town are on the National Register, among them 5 National Historic Landmarks and ten historic districts with 188 buildings between them. Below: 12 old photos and papers, maps from 1895 on, and the census since 1850.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1849.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Sacramento’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Sacramento is more historic than 84% of U.S. towns, #22 of 847 in California. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Sacramento’s overall grade.
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Sacramento ranks #103 on History.
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 Sacramento’s 5.1 sits above most of its state (88% of California towns have fewer) while its 270 historic buildings outnumber those of 95% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B to A. The pre-1940 share (±0.5 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1849.
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 Sacramento’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Nisenan (Southern Maidu), Modoc, and Plains Miwok American Indians have lived in the area for perhaps thousands of years. Until Spanish settlers arrived in Sacramento, these tribes left little evidence of their existence. Acorns harvested from the plentiful oak trees in the region made up the bulk of their diets, in addition to fruits, bulbs, seeds, and roots gathered throughout the year. Animal protein included salmon, other fish, deer, and elk.
In 1808, the Spanish explorer Gabriel Moraga encountered and named the Sacramento Valley and the Sacramento River. A Spanish writer with the Moraga expedition wrote:
Passages that mention Sacramento, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Sacramento 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 present1913 · page 210Read the page →
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In 1893 the Southern Pacific Company and the counties of Yolo and Sacramento built a bridge jointly at the foot of H street. This bridge differed from the others in having two stories, the lower one on the street level, for the railroad trains, and the upper one for foot passengers and wagon traffic, elevated above the railroad tracks and with an inclined plane as an approach on the Sacramento side, running from Second street to the top of the bridge, and a similar approach on the Yolo side. A third approach ran from the top of
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Sacramento 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 present1923 · page 907Read the page →
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Upon the request of the board of education of the city of Sacramento, an architectural and engineering commission was duly incorporated for the purpose of building the necessary buildings for the elementary schools for the city of Sacramento. In consequence of this incorporation, the following members were selected to act in the commission: E. C. Hemmings and J. C. Peterson as architects, and George D. Hudnutt
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History of Sacramento 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 present1913 · page 182Read the page →
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CHAPTEE XXIV EAILROADS The inception of railroad building in the county of Sacramento, as well as in the whole state, has made very interesting history. The building of the Sacramento Valley Eailroad which ran from Sacramento to Folsom, a distance of twentytwo miles, in 1855-56, (it being the first railroad constructed in the state) was the direct cause of the construction of the western half of the great transcontinental railroad
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History of Sacramento 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 present1923 · page 768Read the page →
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William Albert Hosking began his education in the public schools of Sacramento, and finished with a business course at Heald's Business College in San Francisco. After finishing school, he entered his father's store, Ninth and P Streets, in the city of Sacramento, where he remained until he decided to try railroading, and entered the employ of the Southern Pacific Railroad "Company. After six
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
Sacramento, 1848 to 1961
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Sacramento. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1902Fairoaks 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 Sacramento.
Every building
Sacramento, building by building, 1895–1915
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
In 1849, according to Wikidata. Sacramento’s post office opened in 1849, and the census of 1850 counted 6,820 people here.
How does Sacramento rank for history?
Sacramento is more historic than 84% of U.S. towns, #22 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.
What is on the National Register in Sacramento?
79 listings, 5 of them National Historic Landmarks: 62 buildings, among them the "Big Four" House (a National Historic Landmark since 1961), 11 historic districts with 188 contributing buildings, 4 sites, and 2 structures. 270 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Sacramento?
11% of Sacramento’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 3.4% for a California town; the median home was built in 1977.
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 (12), the National Register of Historic Places (79), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) 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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