More historic than 12% of U.S. towns · #631 of 847 in California. What drives it
Most of Salida was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1993. Below: maps from 1915 on and the census since 2000.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1875.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Salida’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Salida is more historic than 12% of U.S. towns, #631 of 847 in California. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Salida’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 Salida’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 (±0.5 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1870.
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 Salida’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
In 1870, the Central Pacific Railroad extended its track construction to Stanislaus County's northern exit. There they established a railroad station with the Spanish name of salida, which in English means exit. This name favorably matched with modesto because both towns have Spanish meanings. They also laid the town out in the shape of a triangle. In 2012 and 2013, initial attempts to annex Salida to Modesto were studied, but were met with protests from local residents.
Especially will he be remembered as the founder of the thriving town of Salida, as he platted the townsite on his own property and erected the first buildings. The son of James and Alzina (Hills) Curtis, honored pioneers, David T. Curtis was born at Columbus, Warren' County, Pa., April 28, 1844, a settlement founded by his grandfather, David Curtis. Later James Curtis brought his family to Mitchell County, Iowa, making the journey in covered wagons, and here David T. was reared.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Stanislaus County California1921 · page 317Read the page →
Read the text
Feagins grew up, attending the neighborhood school, and later the Presbyterian College at Sonoma, after which she taught school for a year in this county. When she was twenty, on September 12, 1867, she was united in marriage with Martin Van Buren Byrum. who was then farming land where now is the present town of Salida, and this land has been in the possession of the Byrum family ever since, Mr. Byrum having taken it up from the government.
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
Salida, 1870 to 1950
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
In 1870, according to Wikidata. Salida’s post office opened in 1875, and the census of 2000 counted 18,070 people here.
How does Salida rank for history?
Salida is more historic than 12% of U.S. towns, #631 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 Salida?
0.0% of Salida’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 3.4% for a California town; the median home was built in 1993.
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 (11), 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 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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