Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
More historic than 22% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Most of Sheridan was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1981. Below: maps from 1942 on and old-book passages.
The Sheridan post office opened in 1868, the earliest record of the town by name.
More historic than 22% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Sheridan is more historic than 22% of U.S. towns. Its age 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 Sheridan’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 Sheridan’s history is told.
From Wikipedia’s history of Sheridan.
Sheridan was originally known by the name Union Shed, before it was renamed for Philip Sheridan around the time of the American Civil War. The Sheridan post office opened in 1868, closed for a time in 1870, and re-opened.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention Sheridan, cut from the printed page as they were published.
the Fox and Grenville ministry, Sheridan was appointed Treasurer of the Navy. The administration was dissolved after the death of Fox, owing to the determination of Lord Grenville to push the Catholic claims. Sheridan was against this
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.
Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Sheridan. 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 Sheridan.
Nobody well known was born in Sheridan itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
The Sheridan post office opened in 1868, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
Sheridan is more historic than 22% 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.
5% of Sheridan’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.3 points), against a typical 3.4% for a California town; the median home was built in 1981.
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 Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), 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.
