Founding year: the first Seeley post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Seeley’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Seeley is more historic than 21% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Seeley’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 Seeley’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 is a Census survey estimate (±19.8 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
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 →
What stands out about Seeley’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first post office at Seeley was opened in 1909. The name honors Henry Seeley, an early developer of Imperial County.
Seeley is one of the oldest established communities in Imperial County, tracing its history back to the early years of the 20th century. It succeeded the town of Silsbee, which was originally established as a stage stop on the shores of the now drained Blue Lake. When irrigation channels from the Colorado River overflowed and flooded the basin of the Salton Sea between 1905 and 1907, the townsite of Silsbee was flooded and abandoned, and the new town of Seeley was established a few miles north.
Passages that mention Seeley, cut from the printed page as they were published.
The history of Imperial County, California1918Read the page →
Read the text
When the traveler starts out to visit the great Imperial Valley, entering it from the west, his eyes rest first upon the fertile lands adjacent to Seeley, the western gateway into this wonderland. Seeley is favorably located on the California State Highway, which has been completed from the San Diego County line to the county seat nine miles east, and also on the San Diego and Arizona Railway, which, in March, 1918, lacked only about twelve miles of completion. It is the largest town on the west side, nearest the cooler mountain breezes and also to
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The history of Imperial County, California1918 · page 427Read the page →
Read the text
and the El Centro Seed Oil Mill. He assisted in organizing the El Centro Creamery Company, which was later sold. He assisted in getting the right of way for the San Diego and Arizona Railroad Company from Seeley to Dixieland. He was active in starting the first schools and constructing the roads. He served as president of the beekeepers' association and was a director for three years. He had the second herd of cows in the Valley, which was in January, 1904. He put out the first shade trees in the Valley. He hauled lumber from San Diego down
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.
Between 1,058 and 1,739 people in every census since 1980.
5 censuses, 1980–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Seeley’s Wikipedia page.
Questions about Seeley’s history
What year was Seeley founded?
The Seeley post office opened in 1909, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Seeley rank for history?
Seeley is more historic than 21% of U.S. towns. 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 Seeley?
12% of Seeley’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±19.8 points), against a typical 3.4% for a California town; the median home was built in 1990.
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 (2), 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.
Date?
2023
