Soledad’s post office opened in 1869, and 2 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 36% of U.S. towns · #271 of 847 in California. What drives it
Most of Soledad was built recently: 0.6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1996. 2 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 3 buildings. Below: 4 old photos and papers, maps from 1888 on, and the census since 1880.
Founding year: the first Soledad post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1921.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Soledad’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Soledad is more historic than 36% of U.S. towns, #271 of 847 in California. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Soledad’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 Soledad’s 2.3 sits above most of its state (81% of California towns have fewer) while its 6 historic buildings outnumber those of 72% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to B. The pre-1940 share (±0.9 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata gives 1921.
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 Soledad’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
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.
1888Sheet 1 of 1
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Sheets
BrickWoodStone
Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
On the map
Soledad on the map, 1915 to 1984
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Soledad. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1915Soledad 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 Soledad.
The Chalon tribe of the Ohlone nation of indigenous Californians have inhabited the area around Soledad for thousands of years. The Paraíso Hot Springs, west of Soledad, had long been used by the Chalon.
Soledad's history as a settlement began in 1791, when the Spanish founded Mission Nuestra Señora de la Soledad, under the leadership of Padre Fermín de Lasuén. Alongside the Spanish and the Chalon, the Esselen and Yokuts people eventually came to reside in Soledad as well. However, unlike many other missions in California, Soledad did not initially develop into a town outside of the mission.
Passages that mention Soledad, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Monterey County, California1881 · page 85Read the page →
Read the text
On the San Antonio creek, after going south from Soledad, is the settlement of San Antonio, which is a stage station on the road to San Luis Obispo. The country lying between it and Soledad is level, with a light growth of timber.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Monterey County, California1881 · page 112Read the page →
Read the text
W. S. Pierson discharges the duties of station agent at the Southern Pacific Railroad depot, which is the point of junction of the road from Monterey and that from Soledad to San Francisco. The Chinese have their quarters in town and are quiet and well-behaved. They find employment in wood-chopping during the winter months and threshing mustard and binding grain in summer.
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
Soledad, 1869 to 1981
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
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.
The Soledad post office opened in 1869, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1921.
How does Soledad rank for history?
Soledad is more historic than 36% of U.S. towns, #271 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 Soledad?
Two places: the Los Coches Rancho (listed 1979) and the Mission Nuestra Senora de la Soledad Historic District (2014).
How old are the homes in Soledad?
0.6% of Soledad’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 3.4% for a California town; the median home was built in 1996.
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 (16), the Library of Congress (1), the National Register of Historic Places (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.
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