On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Saranap is more historic than 29% of U.S. towns, #346 of 847 in California. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
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HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Saranap’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 Saranap’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 two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±7.7 points).
Founding year: our sources. 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 Saranap’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Saranap. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1897Concord 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 Saranap.
The story so far
Saranap, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Saranap yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Saranap (until 1913, Dewing Park) is a residential census-designated place (CDP) within central Contra Costa County, California, United States. Lying at an elevation of 180 feet (55 m), it is bounded on the south and east by portions of Walnut Creek (including the gated senior residential development Rossmoor) and on the north and west by Lafayette. Saranap's ZIP code is 94595, but is addressed "Walnut Creek, CA" for delivery purposes as this is the postal designated city name used by residents. The community is in telephone area code 925. Saranap's population as of the 2020 census was 5,830. Saranap has had numerous opportunities to be annexed as either part of Lafayette, or of Walnut Cree…
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 5,202 to 5,830 (+12%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
From the old history books
What they wrote about Saranap in 1917
Passages that mention Saranap, cut from the printed page as they were published.
The history of Contra Costa County, California1917 · page 292Read the page →
Read the text
After leaving Moraga, Country Club, Burton, and Lafayette in their turn, the train enters the San Ramon Valley at Saranap, where a branch line extends to the prettily situated towns of Alamo, Danville, and Diablo Station at the foot of Mount Diablo, where an auto stage can be
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.
By decade
No old photos in the archives yet
Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
Saranap is more historic than 29% of U.S. towns, #346 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 Saranap?
10% of Saranap’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.7 points), against a typical 3.4% for a California town; the median home was built in 1956.
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 U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.
