Twentynine Palms dates to 1920, and 1 of its places is on the National Register
More historic than 20% of U.S. towns · #472 of 847 in California. What drives it
Most of Twentynine Palms was built recently: 2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1985. Its Register listing is the Chemehuevi Cemetery. Below: maps from 1955 on and the census since 1970.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1927.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Twentynine Palms’ History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Twentynine Palms is more historic than 20% of U.S. towns, #472 of 847 in California. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Twentynine Palms’ 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 Twentynine Palms’ 0.4 sits above most of its state (68% of California towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to C. The pre-1940 share (±0.9 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1920.
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 Twentynine Palms’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Colonel Henry Washington made the first recorded exploration of Twentynine Palms, where he found people of the Chemehuevi tribe who lived in the surrounding hills and near the spring that they called "Mar-rah" or "Oasis of Mara". The community was named for the 29 palms (Washingtonia filifera) that the Serrano had planted surrounding the Oasis of Mara. Nearby is also a small Indian reservation belonging to the Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians.
A post office was established in 1927. A road named Utah Trail honors the late-19th century wagon trains and pioneers, originating in St. George, Utah and stretching all the way to Twentynine Palms.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Twentynine Palms. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1955Twentynine Palms 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 Twentynine Palms.
On the National Register
1 historic place in Twentynine Palms
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
Twentynine Palms’s post office has been open since 1927.
Hamlets and corners on the map
Harmony AcresSmoke TreeThe Plaza
Gone or out of use
Italy MinemineKnott Sky ParkairportNaval Auxiliary Air Station Twentynine Palmsmilitary
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Twentynine Palms
Twenty Nine PalmsTwentynine Palms Chemehuevi Indian
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Twentynine Palms’ history
What year was Twentynine Palms founded?
In 1920, according to Wikidata. Twentynine Palms’ post office opened in 1927, and the census of 1970 counted 5,667 people here.
How does Twentynine Palms rank for history?
Twentynine Palms is more historic than 20% of U.S. towns, #472 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 Twentynine Palms?
One place: the Chemehuevi Cemetery (listed 2025).
How old are the homes in Twentynine Palms?
2% of Twentynine Palms’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 3.4% for a California town; the median home was built in 1985.
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), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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) 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.
2006
