More historic than 2% of U.S. towns · #833 of 847 in California. What drives it
Most of Strawberry was built recently: 0.5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1971. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1897 on, and the census since 1990.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Strawberry is more historic than 2% of U.S. towns, #833 of 847 in California. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
D−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Strawberry’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 Strawberry’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.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1949.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D− to D. The pre-1940 share (±0.7 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: Wikidata (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 Strawberry’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Strawberry. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1897Tamalpais 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 Strawberry.
The story so far
Strawberry, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Strawberry yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Strawberry is a census-designated place (CDP) and an unincorporated district of Marin County, California, United States. It shares a ZIP code (94941) with Mill Valley (hence, addresses in Strawberry are listed as "Mill Valley") and falls within its school districts; however, it is considered within the sphere of influence of the town of Tiburon. It is largely separated from Mill Valley by U.S. Route 101. Its population was 5,447 at the 2020 census.
Strawberry was established in 1949. Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 5,393 in 2010, 5,447 in 2020.
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
From the old history books
What they wrote about Strawberry in 1917
Passages that mention Strawberry, cut from the printed page as they were published.
The strawberry in North America1917 · page 42Read the page →
Read the text
Strawberry exhibitions, introduced by the Massachusetts Horticultural Society about 1848, were held everywhere. The inevitable reaction came about 1870. In the eastern cities, prices declined sharply to three or four cents a quart, which was below the cost of production. Hundreds of carloads were dumped into the Hudson River. Large fields, heavily loaded with fruit, were plowed under. The rapid extension of transportation facilities after the Civil
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.
In 1949, according to Wikidata. the census of 1990 counted 4,377 people here.
How does Strawberry rank for history?
Strawberry is more historic than 2% of U.S. towns, #833 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 Strawberry?
0.5% of Strawberry’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 3.4% for a California town; the median home was built in 1971.
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 the Library of Congress (1), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), 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.
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