Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
More historic than 26% of U.S. towns · #377 of 847 in California. What drives it
Most of San Bruno was built recently: 8% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1962. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1896 on, and the census since 1920.
The San Bruno post office opened in 1875, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Lomita Park (1933), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
More historic than 26% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, San Bruno is more historic than 26% of U.S. towns, #377 of 847 in California. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
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 San Bruno’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.
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 →
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how San Bruno’s history is told.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of San Bruno. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of San Bruno.
From Wikipedia’s history of San Bruno.
San Bruno was the location of the Ohlone village Urebure. It was explored in November 1769 by a Spanish expedition led by Gaspar de Portolà. Later, more extensive explorations by Bruno de Heceta resulted in the naming of San Bruno Creek after St. Bruno of Cologne, the founder of a medieval monastic order. This creek apparently later gave its name to the community.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention San Bruno, cut from the printed page as they were published.
San Bruno. — This is a station in township one. Its existence dates back no further than 1862, when J. Cunningham located there and erected a hotel building which he called the San Bruno House. It is still a well-known landmark on the old San Bruno road, and continues under the management of its original proprietor. Directly opposite the hotel is the rifle range, and south of it is the grounds where pigeons are shot from the trap. Both of these localities are well known to marksmen in this part of the State, and the latter is especially popular with the department of sportsmanship that is devoted to
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
He remained in San Francisco until he came to San Bruno, with the exception of six months spent in mining in Butte county. He erected the San Bruno Hotel, and opened it in 1802, and has been its proprietor to the present time.
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.
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
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.
1913Sheet 1 of 2Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on San Bruno’s page.
Retake this view · +15Grew from 1,562 people in 1920 to 43,908 in 2020, more than tenfold.
11 censuses, 1920–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on San Bruno’s Wikipedia page.
San Bruno’s post office has been open since 1875. Another post office, Lomita Park, opened and closed inside today’s town.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
The San Bruno post office opened in 1875, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
San Bruno is more historic than 26% of U.S. towns, #377 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.
8% of San Bruno’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.5 points), against a typical 3.4% for a California town; the median home was built in 1962.
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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 (7), the Library of Congress (1), Wikidata (1), 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, 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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