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AHistory
History · Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara dates to 1847, and 20% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 88% of U.S. towns · #9 of 847 in California. What drives it

19 places in town are on the National Register, among them 3 National Historic Landmarks and a historic district. Below: 22 old photos and papers, maps from 1886 on, and the census since 1880.

1847founded
19on the National Register
20%homes built before 1940
22old photos & papers
37famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Santa Barbara’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Santa Barbara began

When was Santa Barbara founded?

1847

Santa Barbara dates its founding to 1847 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1880.

First census: 3,460 in 18802020 census: 88,665179 years

How historic is Santa Barbara?

A

More historic than 88% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1850.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Santa Barbara’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Santa Barbara is more historic than 88% of U.S. towns, #9 of 847 in California. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.

A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Santa Barbara’s overall grade.
Founding era1847, from Wikidata: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 194019.6% of homes (±1.6) · typical CA town 3.4% · U.S. 8.4%B+National Register19 listings, 26 historic buildings, 3.0 per 10,000 residents · typical CA town 0.0 · U.S. 2.4A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 88%
NewerOlder
California towns of 2,500+ (847)#9 of 847

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 Santa Barbara’s 3.0 sits above most of its state (84% of California towns have fewer) while its 26 historic buildings outnumber those of 81% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A. The pre-1940 share (±1.6 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1847.

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 Santa Barbara’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A National Historic Landmark19 places on the National Register, 3 of them National Historic Landmarks.A town in old photos22 old photos, postcards and papers, 1839–1917.Mapped building by building4 fire insurance maps, 1886 to 1907, drew every building in Santa Barbara.Famous sons and daughtersKaty Perry, Edie Sedgwick and 35 more were born here.
★ What stands out · On the National Register

19 historic places in Santa Barbara

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. 3 are National Historic Landmarks, the highest tier.

places listed
19
National Historic Landmarks
3
Santa Barbara Mission
historic buildings protected
26
each building in a district counts
first listed
1966
Santa Barbara Mission
Santa Barbara Presidio, built 1782El Paseo and Casa de la GuerraFaith Mission, built 1889St. Vincent Orphanage and School BuildingUS Post Office-Santa Barbara MainHill-Carrillo AdobeJanssens-Orella-Birk BuildingLos Banos del MarAndalucia Building, built 1926Virginia HotelHerschell, Allan, 3-Abreast Carousel, built 1916Southern Pacific Train Depot, built 1902Rattlesnake Canyon Bridge, built 1919Santa Barbara ClubSaint Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church, Santa BarbaraSanta Barbara Mission, built 1722★Rafael Gonzalez House★Santa Barbara County Courthouse, built 1926★
BuildingsDistrictsStructures★ landmark

Architectural styles listings

Spanish Colonial Revival3
Spanish Colonial2
Moorish1
Baroque1
Renaissance1
Romanesque1
★ Landmark
Santa Barbara MissionBuilt 1722
★ Landmark
Rafael Gonzalez HouseBuilding
★ Landmark
Santa Barbara County CourthouseMoorish · Built 1926
Santa Barbara PresidioBuilt 1782
El Paseo and Casa de la GuerraSpanish Colonial
Faith MissionLate 19th Century Commercial · Built 1889
St. Vincent Orphanage and School BuildingItalianate
US Post Office-Santa Barbara MainSpanish Colonial Revival
All 19 listings
Hill-Carrillo AdobeBuilding · listed 1986Janssens-Orella-Birk BuildingBuilding · listed 1987Los Banos del MarBuilding · listed 1992Andalucia BuildingBuilding · listed 1999Virginia HotelBuilding · listed 2000Herschell, Allan, 3-Abreast CarouselStructure · listed 2000Southern Pacific Train DepotBuilding · listed 2006Rattlesnake Canyon BridgeStructure · listed 2017Santa Barbara ClubBuilding · listed 2019Saint Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church, Santa BarbaraBuilding · listed 2025Jimmy's Oriental Gardens and Chung Family HouseBuilding · listed 2026

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

By decade

Santa Barbara, decade by decade

6 decades in the archive, from the 1830s to the 1910s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1830s–1880s5 items
Drawing of the presidio of early Santa Barbara, as seen in Alfred Robinson's "Life in California", ca.1839 (CHS-5760)c. 1839Drawing of the presidio of early Santa Barbara, as se…Misc1855MiscMissionSantaBarbara18561856MissionSantaBarbara1856Presidio18801880Presidio1880SBCA OurLadyOfSorrowsChurch MarbleYard 1880c. 1880SBCA OurLadyOfSorrowsChurch MarbleYard 1880
1890s–1900s11 items
A Sunday concert in the plaza, Santa Barbara, Cal1898A Sunday concert in the plaza, Santa Barbara, CalMission Santa Barbara, showing ruins of the old mill, California, 1898 (CHS-462)1898Mission Santa Barbara, showing ruins of the old mill,…View of Mission Santa Barbara and surrounding grounds from a distant hill to the north, ca.1898 (CHS-12079)c. 1898View of Mission Santa Barbara and surrounding grounds…ArroyoBurroBeach Buggy c19001900ArroyoBurroBeach Buggy c1900ArroyoBurroBeach BuggyOnRoad c19001900ArroyoBurroBeach BuggyOnRoad c1900Large rare yucca plant (Yucca Radiata) on the grounds of Santa Barbara's Hotel Arlington, ca.1900 (CHS-1782)c. 1900Large rare yucca plant (Yucca Radiata) on the grounds…Panoramic view of Santa Barbara, ca.1900 (CHS-2582)c. 1900Panoramic view of Santa Barbara, ca.1900 (CHS-2582)Santa Barbara Bay from the Bath House, ca.1905 (CHS-1624)c. 1905Santa Barbara Bay from the Bath House, ca.1905 (CHS-1…FranceschiHouse 19071907FranceschiHouse 1907Large trumpet flower plant (Bruginansia) in Santa Barbara, 1908 (CHS-1788)1908Large trumpet flower plant (Bruginansia) in Santa Bar…Willets residence, Santa Barbara (CHS-1877)c. 1908Willets residence, Santa Barbara (CHS-1877)
1910s6 items
Diagram of Pueblo of Santa Barbara (Walter A. Hawley, 1910)1910Diagram of Pueblo of Santa Barbara (Walter A. Hawley,…Two palm trees, Seaforehia Elyans, in bloom on the lawn of a private residence in Santa Barbara, ca.1910 (CHS-1804)c. 1910Two palm trees, Seaforehia Elyans, in bloom on the la…Drive through the oaks, Hope Ranch, Santa Barbara, Calif1911Drive through the oaks, Hope Ranch, Santa Barbara, Ca…A panorama of Santa Barbara from the mesa1914A panorama of Santa Barbara from the mesaSBPD as extras 1915movie1915SBPD as extras 1915movieCalifornia1917California
1920s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Every building

Santa Barbara, building by building, 1886–1907

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.

Santa Barbara fire insurance map, 1886, sheet 11886Sheet 1 of 12
Edition
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

The story

How Santa Barbara came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Santa Barbara.

Read it all →

Evidence of human habitation of the area begins at least 13,000 years ago. Evidence for a Paleoindian presence includes a fluted Clovis-like point found in the 1980s along the western Santa Barbara County coast, as well as the remains of Arlington Springs Man, found on Santa Rosa Island in the 1960s. At least 25,000 Chumash natives lived in the region prior to Spanish contact. Five Chumash villages flourished in the area. The present-day area of Santa Barbara City College was the village of Mispu; the site of the Los Baños pool (along west beach) was the village of Syukhtun, chief Yanonalit's large village located between Bath and Chapala streets; Amolomol was at the mouth of Mission Creek; and Swetete, above the bird refuge.

ChaptersSpanish eraMexican eraEarly United States eraEarly 20th century to World War IIAfter World War II

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Santa Barbara in 1917

Passages that mention Santa Barbara, cut from the printed page as they were published.

Santa Barbara Unit Brick and Tile Company. Founded in 1912, the Santa Barbara Unit Brick and Tile Company is the only business of its kind in Santa Barbara County devoted exclusively to the manufacture of artificial granite, limestone, sandstone, roof tile, plain and ornamental brick, and interior …
History of Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Ventura counties, California1917 · page 577Read the page →
Read the text

Santa Barbara Unit Brick and Tile Company. Founded in 1912, the Santa Barbara Unit Brick and Tile Company is the only business of its kind in Santa Barbara County devoted exclusively to the manufacture of artificial granite, limestone, sandstone, roof tile, plain and ornamental brick, and interior and lawn decorations. It is a company that has supplied an insistent local demand for the highest class of building material, and these materials have been constantly utilized since the opening of the plant in the construction of many of the notable private, business and

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
In 1872 there was made on the part of the Atlantic & Pacific Railroad Company an attempt to obtain from San Francisco and the southern counties of California a subsidy, efforts being specially made to obtain a donation from the County and Town of Santa Barbara. Mr. Richards maintained that it would…
History of Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Ventura counties, California1917 · page 648Read the page →
Read the text

In 1872 there was made on the part of the Atlantic & Pacific Railroad Company an attempt to obtain from San Francisco and the southern counties of California a subsidy, efforts being specially made to obtain a donation from the County and Town of Santa Barbara. Mr. Richards maintained that it would be disastrous thus to saddle a burden of debt upon the community under conditions that gave no positive assurance that the proposed railroad line would be constructed, and his opposition to the cause was later fully justified by results. To oppose the project the

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

Santa Barbara, 1722 to 1984

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 18th century
  2. 1722BuiltSanta Barbara Mission is built
  3. 1782BuiltSanta Barbara Presidio is built
  4. 19th century
  5. 1839In the archiveDrawing of the presidio of early Santa Barbara, as seen in Alfred Robinson's "Life in Cal…
  6. 1847
    FoundingSanta Barbara is established
  7. 1850Post officeThe Santa Barbara post office opens
  8. 1855In the archiveMisc
  9. 1880In the archivePresidio1880
  10. 1889BuiltFaith Mission is built
  11. 1898In the archiveA Sunday concert in the plaza, Santa Barbara, Cal
  12. 20th century
  13. 1900In the archiveArroyoBurroBeach Buggy c1900
  14. 1910In the archiveDiagram of Pueblo of Santa Barbara (Walter A. Hawley, 1910)
  15. 1926BuiltSanta Barbara County Courthouse is built
  16. 1943Born hereEdie Sedgwick is born here
  17. 1944On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  18. 1960LandmarkSanta Barbara Mission named a National Historic Landmark
  19. 1962Born hereAnthony Edwards is born here
  20. 1970LandmarkRafael Gonzalez House named a National Historic Landmark
  21. 1984Born hereKaty Perry is born here
On the map

Santa Barbara on the map, 1944 to 1995

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Santa Barbara. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Santa Barbara on the 1944 USGS mapSanta Barbara on the 1952 USGS mapSanta Barbara on the 1967 USGS mapSanta Barbara on the 1976 USGS mapSanta Barbara on the 1988 USGS mapSanta Barbara on the 1995 USGS map1944Santa Barbara sheet · 1:31,680

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Santa Barbara.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Drawing of the presidio of early Santa Barbara, as seen in Alfred Robinson's "Life in California", ca.1839 (CHS-5760)
Retake this viewDrawing of the presidio of early Santa Barbara, as seen in Alfred Robinson's "Life in California", ca.1839 (CHS-5760), c. 1839

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Santa Barbara’s page.

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Santa Barbara, census by census

020,00040,00060,00080,000100,00018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 89,600

Between 3,460 and 89,600 people in every census since 1880.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Santa Barbara’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

37 famous people were born in Santa Barbara

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Katy PerryAmerican singer · b. 1984
Edie SedgwickAmerican socialite, actress and model · b. 1943
Maika MonroeAmerican actress · b. 1993
Anthony EdwardsAmerican actor · b. 1962
A
Alex D. LinzAmerican actor · b. 1989
Cole HauserAmerican actor · b. 1975
Places that used to be

Old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Santa Barbara’s post office has been open since 1850.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Mission
Gone or out of use
First Presbyterian ChurchchurchGuadalupe HallbuildingHoff General HospitalhospitalMarine Corps Air Station Santa BarbaramilitaryMesa Oil FieldoilfieldNeighborhood ChurchchurchPunta Del CastillobuildingSan Miguel ChurchchurchSanta Barbara PresidiolocaleSanta Barbara SanitariumhospitalTrinity Evangelical Lutheran ChurchchurchVega Marbuilding
1cemetery inside Santa Barbara
Calvary

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Help out

Finish Santa Barbara’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
2 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewDrawing of the presidio of early Santa …: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Montecito3 historic placesB+Eastern Goleta Valley1 historic placeB−Mission CanyonIts storyBGoleta3 historic placesCUniversity of California-Santa BarbaraIts storyD

Questions about Santa Barbara’s history

What year was Santa Barbara founded?

In 1847, according to Wikidata. Santa Barbara’s post office opened in 1850, and the census of 1880 counted 3,460 people here.

How does Santa Barbara rank for history?

Santa Barbara is more historic than 88% of U.S. towns, #9 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 Santa Barbara?

19 listings, 3 of them National Historic Landmarks: 16 buildings, among them the Santa Barbara Mission (a National Historic Landmark since 1960), 1 historic district, the Santa Barbara Presidio,, and 2 structures. 26 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Santa Barbara?

20% of Santa Barbara’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.6 points), against a typical 3.4% for a California town; the median home was built in 1965.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

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 (22), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (19), 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.