More historic than 6% of U.S. towns · #762 of 847 in California. What drives it
Most of Santa Venetia was built recently: 0.7% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1958. Below: maps from 1954 on and the census since 1990.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Santa Venetia is more historic than 6% of U.S. towns, #762 of 847 in California. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Santa Venetia’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 Santa Venetia’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.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikipedia alone; no second source gives 1914.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D− to D. The pre-1940 share (±1.2 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: Wikipedia (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 Venetia’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Santa Venetia is built on marshland that was filled in 1914. At that time, real estate developer Mabry McMahan envisioned a bayside luxury development modeled after Venice, Italy. Venice is known as "Venezia" in Italian; however, there is no actual Christian saint ("Santa") named Venice or Venetia. The development was designed to be complete with canals and gondolas. The economic decline following the First World War put an end to the project.
It was only after the Second World War that significant development took place in Santa Venetia, with suburban developments such as Gallinas Village being built on the land originally filled in 1914.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Santa Venetia. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1954San Rafael sheet · 1:24,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Santa Venetia.
People over time
Santa Venetia, census by census
Between 3,362 and 4,298 people in every census since 1990.
4 censuses, 1990–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Santa Venetia’s Wikipedia page.
Stories next door
History across the town line
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
In 1914, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. the census of 1990 counted 3,362 people here.
How does Santa Venetia rank for history?
Santa Venetia is more historic than 6% of U.S. towns, #762 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 Santa Venetia?
0.7% of Santa Venetia’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.2 points), against a typical 3.4% for a California town; the median home was built in 1958.
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 (4), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) 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.
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