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B−History
History · South Taft

21% of South Taft’s homes were built before 1940

More historic than 50% of U.S. towns · #153 of 847 in California. What drives it

Below: maps from 1950 on and the census since 1960.

0on the National Register
21%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

About South Taft’s history

How historic is South Taft?

B−

More historic than 50% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
History grade

What drives South Taft’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, South Taft is more historic than 50% of U.S. towns, #153 of 847 in California. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.

B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of South Taft’s overall grade.
Founding eraNo founding year we can rely on, so the grade uses the other two–Homes built before 194021.4% of homes (±9.3) · typical CA town 3.4% · U.S. 8.4%B+National RegisterNo listings counted · typical CA town 0.0 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 50%
NewerOlder
California towns of 2,500+ (847)Ahead of 82%

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 South Taft’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 (±9.3 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 South Taft’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of South Taft are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of South Taft’s homes were built before 1954.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start South Taft’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how South Taft’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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The story so far

South Taft, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of South Taft yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

South Taft is a census-designated place (CDP) in Kern County, California, United States. South Taft is located 0.5 miles (0.8 km) south of Taft, at an elevation of 1,017 feet (310 m). The population was 2,100 at the 2020 census, down from 2,169 at the time of the 2010 census.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 2,169 to 2,100 (-3%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

By decade

South Taft, decade by decade

Today1 recent
The Burning of the Sky2010The Burning of the Sky
On the map

South Taft on the map, 1950 to 1973

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of South Taft. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

South Taft on the 1950 USGS mapSouth Taft on the 1973 USGS map1950Taft sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of South Taft.

People over time

South Taft, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0001960198020002020Peak: 2,214

Between 1,898 and 2,214 people in every census since 1960.

7 censuses, 1960–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on South Taft’s Wikipedia page.

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Taft1 historic placeC+Taft HeightsIts storyB+

Questions about South Taft’s history

How does South Taft rank for history?

South Taft is more historic than 50% of U.S. towns, #153 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 South Taft?

21% of South Taft’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±9.3 points), against a typical 3.4% for a California town; the median home was built in 1954.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

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 (1), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.