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B−History
History · Tiburon

Tiburon’s post office opened in 1884, and 5 of its places are on the National Register

More historic than 52% of U.S. towns · #142 of 847 in California. What drives it

Most of Tiburon was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1970. Below: maps from 1891 on and the census since 1970.

1884first post office
5on the National Register
5%homes built before 1940
4famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Tiburon began

When was Tiburon founded?

1884

The Tiburon post office opened in 1884, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 6,209 in 19702020 census: 9,146142 years

How historic is Tiburon?

B−

More historic than 52% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Tiburon post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Tiburon’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Tiburon is more historic than 52% of U.S. towns, #142 of 847 in California. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Tiburon’s overall grade.
Founding era1884, from the first post office: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 19405.2% of homes (±3.0) · typical CA town 3.4% · U.S. 8.4%CNational Register5 listings, 12 historic buildings, 13.3 per 10,000 residents · typical CA town 0.0 · U.S. 2.4A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 52%
NewerOlder
California towns of 2,500+ (847)Ahead of 83%

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 Tiburon’s 13.3 sits above most of its state (93% of California towns have fewer) while its 12 historic buildings outnumber those of 77% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.0 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.

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 Tiburon’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 Tiburon are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18957 editions of the USGS map, 1895 to 1993. Watch Tiburon change.A National Historic Landmark5 places on the National Register, including Angel Island, U.S. Immigration Station, a National Historic Landmark.Lost villages5 hamlets and corners are still on the map.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Tiburon’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Tiburon on the map, 1895 to 1993

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

Tiburon on the 1895 USGS mapTiburon on the 1915 USGS mapTiburon on the 1947 USGS mapTiburon on the 1950 USGS mapTiburon on the 1968 USGS mapTiburon on the 1973 USGS mapTiburon on the 1993 USGS map1895San Francisco 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 Tiburon.

On the National Register

5 historic places in Tiburon

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. One is a National Historic Landmark, the highest tier.

places listed
5
National Historic Landmark
1
Angel Island, U.S. Immigration Station
historic buildings protected
12
each building in a district counts
first listed
1971
Angel Island, U.S. Immigration Station
Lyford's Stone TowerSan Francisco and North Pacific Railroad Station House-DepotBenjamin and Hilarita Lyford HouseSt. Hilary's Mission ChurchAngel Island, U.S. Immigration Station★
BuildingsDistricts★ landmark

Architectural styles listings

Richardsonian Romanesque1
Greek Revival1
Late Victorian1
Second Empire1
★ Landmark
Angel Island, U.S. Immigration StationDistrict
Lyford's Stone TowerRichardsonian Romanesque
San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad Station House-DepotGreek Revival
Benjamin and Hilarita Lyford HouseLate Victorian
St. Hilary's Mission ChurchBuilding

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

The story

How Tiburon came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Tiburon.

Read it all →

The earliest human habitation of the local area was by Native Americans, who have left rock carvings on Ring Mountain.

In 1884, the first post office in Tiburon opened. In 1964, Tiburon incorporated.

Much of the modern history material below is drawn from the former Town Historian, Branwell Fanning's "Brief History of Tiburon," published in the Town of Tiburon's General Plan.

Tiburón means "shark" in Spanish. He named the land Punta del Tiburón, or Shark Point. The Coast Miwok Indians had lived here for thousands of years, but there is no clear concept of what they called the peninsula.

Chapters1775–1882Industrial eraWorld War IICity incorporation and growthAfter 1997

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Tiburon, 1884 to 1997

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1884Post officeThe Tiburon post office opens
  3. 1895On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  4. 20th century
  5. 1916Born hereSam Chapman is born here
  6. 1947Born hereLarry Robinson is born here
  7. 1956Post officeThe Tiburon post office closes
  8. 1956Post officeThe Belvedere-Tiburon post office opens
  9. 1968Born hereFrederic Honebein is born here
  10. 1988Born hereShoshana Bush is born here
  11. 1997LandmarkAngel Island, U.S. Immigration Station named a National Historic Landmark
By decade

Tiburon, decade by decade

Today11 recent
Tiburon Peninsula, Marin County, California2012Tiburon Peninsula, Marin County, CaliforniaTiburon Peninsula, Marin County, California2012Tiburon Peninsula, Marin County, CaliforniaTiburon Peninsula, Marin County, California2012Tiburon Peninsula, Marin County, CaliforniaTiburon Peninsula, Marin County, California2012Tiburon Peninsula, Marin County, CaliforniaTiburon Peninsula, Marin County, California2012Tiburon Peninsula, Marin County, CaliforniaTiburon Peninsula, Marin County, California2012Tiburon Peninsula, Marin County, CaliforniaTiburon Peninsula, Marin County, California2012Tiburon Peninsula, Marin County, CaliforniaTiburon, Marin County, California2012Tiburon, Marin County, CaliforniaTiburon, Marin County, California2012Tiburon, Marin County, CaliforniaTiburon, Marin County, California2012Tiburon, Marin County, CaliforniaTiburon, Marin County, California2012Tiburon, Marin County, California
Every building

Tiburon, building by building, 1891–1911

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.

Tiburon fire insurance map, 1891, sheet 11891Sheet 1 of 1
Edition
Sheets
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

People over time

Tiburon, census by census

02,0004,0006,0008,00010,000198020002020Peak: 9,146

Between 6,209 and 9,146 people in every census since 1970.

6 censuses, 1970–2020.

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

Famous people

4 famous people were born in Tiburon

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
S
Shoshana BushAmerican actress · b. 1988
Sam ChapmanAmerican baseball player · b. 1916
F
Frederic HonebeinAmerican rower · b. 1968
Larry RobinsonAmerican poet · b. 1947
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and places now gone

Tiburon had its own post office from 1884 to 1956.

Tiburon
1884–1956
Belvedere-Tiburon
1956–today
18801950today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Bel AireFort McDowellHilaritaLittle Reed HeightsReed
Gone or out of use
Battery DrewmilitaryBattery LedyardmilitaryBattery WallacemilitaryNike Site SF-91CmilitaryNike Site SF-91LmilitaryNorth GarrisonmilitaryWest Garrisonmilitary

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Belvedere1 historic placeBStrawberryIts storyD−Corte MaderaIts storyCSan Francisco201 historic placesA+

Questions about Tiburon’s history

What year was Tiburon founded?

The Tiburon post office opened in 1884, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

How does Tiburon rank for history?

Tiburon is more historic than 52% of U.S. towns, #142 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 Tiburon?

5 listings: 4 buildings and 1 historic district, the Angel Island, U.S. Immigration Station,. 12 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Tiburon?

5% of Tiburon’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.0 points), against a typical 3.4% for a California town; the median home was built in 1970.

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 the Library of Congress (11), the National Register of Historic Places (5), 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 and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.