Wilton’s post office opened in 1914, and 1 of its places is on the National Register
More historic than 30% of U.S. towns · #337 of 847 in California. What drives it
Most of Wilton was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1984. Its Register listing is the Alta Mesa Farm Bureau Hall. Below: maps from 1909 on and the census since 1990.
The Wilton post office opened in 1914, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Dillard (1914), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 3,858 in 19902020 census: 5,958112 years
How historic is Wilton?
C
More historic than 30% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Wilton post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).
History grade
What drives Wilton’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Wilton is more historic than 30% of U.S. towns, #337 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 Wilton’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 Wilton’s 3.1 sits above most of its state (84% of California towns have fewer) while its 2 historic buildings outnumber those of 60% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to B−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.8 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 Wilton’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 Wilton. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1909Elk Grove sheet · 1:31,680
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Wilton.
The story so far
Wilton, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Wilton yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Wilton is a census-designated place (CDP) in Sacramento County, California, United States. It is part of the Sacramento–Arden-Arcade–Roseville Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 5,958 at the 2020 census, up from 5,363 at the 2010 census.
Its first post office opened in 1914. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 5,363 to 5,958 (+11%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
From the old history books
What they wrote about Wilton in 1839
Passages that mention Wilton, cut from the printed page as they were published.
An address, delivered at the centennial celebration in Wilton, N.H., Sept. 25, 18391839 · page 8Read the page →
Read the text
The roads were at first little more than footpaths, marked by spotted trees. For a long time there were apprehensions of danger from Indians. Wilton seems, indeed, never to have been a fixed residence for them, but merely a hunting ground. They, however, lived along the Merrimack, and in time of hostility, or when hostility was feared, the first settlers went into garrison.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
An address, delivered at the centennial celebration in Wilton, N.H., Sept. 25, 18391839 · page 42Read the page →
Read the text
We say received by us."* The next account, is one " of money paid to soldiers in the continental army by the town of Wilton in the year 1777." This money was paid for prior services, and was paid early in the year 1777. The whole amount paid to fourteen persons at this time was £lY3Q 10s.
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.
Timeline
Wilton, 1909 to 1989
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
People over time
Wilton, census by census
Between 3,858 and 5,958 people in every census since 1990.
4 censuses, 1990–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Wilton’s Wikipedia page.
Places that used to be
Lost post offices, old corners and places now gone
Wilton’s post office has been open since 1914. Another post office, Dillard, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Dillard
1914–1914
Wilton
1914–today
19101970today
Hamlets and corners on the map
DillardWalmort
Gone or out of use
Lee Schoolschool
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Wilton’s history
What year was Wilton founded?
The Wilton post office opened in 1914, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Wilton rank for history?
Wilton is more historic than 30% of U.S. towns, #337 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 Wilton?
One place: the Alta Mesa Farm Bureau Hall (listed 1987).
How old are the homes in Wilton?
5% of Wilton’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.8 points), against a typical 3.4% for a California town; the median home was built in 1984.
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 National Register of Historic Places (1), 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 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.
