Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
More historic than 78% of U.S. towns · #34 of 847 in California. What drives it
Most of Sonoma was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1977. 7 places in town are on the National Register, among them the Sonoma Plaza, a National Historic Landmark, and a historic district with 38 buildings. Below: 6 old photos and papers, maps from 1888 on, and the census since 1890.
The Sonoma post office opened in 1849, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1883.
More historic than 78% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Sonoma is more historic than 78% of U.S. towns, #34 of 847 in California. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls 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 Sonoma’s 44.0 sits above most of its state (97% of California towns have fewer) while its 47 historic buildings outnumber those of 84% 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 country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. One is a National Historic Landmark, the highest tier. Boundary changes and added documentation are counted with their listing.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
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 2 of 2Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
From Wikipedia’s history of Sonoma.
When the first Spaniards arrived, the area was near the northeastern corner of the Native Americans / Aboriginal peoples (Indians) of the Coast Miwok territory, with Southern Pomo to the northwest, Wappo to the northeast, Suisun and Patwin peoples to the east.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention Sonoma, cut from the printed page as they were published.
The Sonoma Bulletin. — This was the first periodical published in Sonoma County, its initial number being issued June 12, 1852, by A. J. Cox, who had been a resident of the town of Sonoma since 1847, having been a member of a company of Stevenson's regiment, which was stationed there. Mr. Thompson says: It was a very lively sheet for several years, and
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
1850, he arrived in Sonoma County and located in Sonoma Valley, antl engaged in teaming, etc., until the next year. He then purchased a tract of laud about four miles south of the town of Sonoma and commenced his career as a fanner and stock-grower. The rich and fertile soil was then in its wild and uncultivated state, but the energetic and well directed efforts of Mr. Akers
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The town of Sonoma was garrisoned from that time until 1851, — a number of officers, since distinguished, having been stationed there. Among them, General Hooker, Lieutenant Derby and General Sherman. The first civil officer was one John Nash, who was commissioned by General Kearny a.s alcalde of Sonoma. Nash had a very exalted idea of the dignity of his oflice ; assumed ministerial as well as judicial powers; signed himself " Chief .Justice of California," and having been removed by the military governor, he refused to recognize the authority and held on to the office. Lieutenant Sherman, —
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
In 1853 the city of Sonoma stood still, if it did not retrograde, and Petaluma gained in wealth and population. The great Central valley was filling up, and the balance of population, wealth and political power was shifting to the west side of Sonoma mountains. Sonoma had reached the high-water mark of its prosperity, and the ebb set outward, very slowly, so slowly that those who drifted were nol conscious of it, but surely it was going down. At the meeting of the board of supervisors in March of this year, Joe Hooker, " fighting .Joe," was appointed road-overseer. Washington township was created this year,
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.
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
BuiltVallejo Estate is builtBuiltBuena Vista Vineyards-Buena Vista Vinicultural Society is built
In the archiveThe Plaza of Sonoma, ca.1874
In the archiveSonoma, 1846
In the archiveJoseph Hooker House (1892)
In the archive4th of July in Sonoma (1900)BuiltSonoma Valley Woman's Club is built
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
Born hereTim Schafer is born here
Born hereAda Limón is born here
Born hereBrett Wallace is born here4 decades in the archive, from the 1870s to the 1900s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Sonoma. 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 Sonoma.
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Sonoma’s page.
Retake this view · +15Grew from 757 people in 1890 to 10,739 in 2020, more than tenfold.
14 censuses, 1890–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Sonoma’s Wikipedia page.
Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.
Sonoma’s post office has been open since 1849.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
The Sonoma post office opened in 1849, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1883.
Sonoma is more historic than 78% of U.S. towns, #34 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.
7 listings: 6 buildings, among them the Vallejo Estate (listed 1972, the first), and 1 historic district, the Sonoma Plaza, with 38 contributing buildings. 47 historic buildings in all.
6% of Sonoma’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.4 points), against a typical 3.4% for a California town; the median home was built in 1977.
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 Wikimedia Commons (6), Wikidata (7), the National Register of Historic Places (7), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.
1898
1906
