More historic than 12% of U.S. towns · #631 of 847 in California. What drives it
Most of Winchester was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1999. Below: maps from 1942 on and the census since 1990.
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1887.
History grade
What drives Winchester’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Winchester is more historic than 12% of U.S. towns, #631 of 847 in California. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Winchester’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 Winchester’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 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 1886.
Founding year: Wikipedia (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 Winchester’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Winchester yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Winchester is a census-designated place (CDP) in the Inland Empire region of Riverside County, California, USA. As of the 2020 census, the CDP had a total population of 3,068, up from 2,534 at the 2010 census. Winchester was founded in 1886 in Pleasant Valley in what was then San Diego County. The town was named after the widow of Horace Winchester, Mrs. Amy Winchester. Largely rural for most of its history, and home to agricultural businesses including the Winchester Cheese Company, Winchester experienced rapid growth during the housing construction boom in the early-to-mid 2000s. However, construction and growth slowed when the housing bubble burst in 2007, resulting in a housing market c…
Winchester was established in 1886. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 2,534 to 3,068 (+21%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
From the old history books
What they wrote about Winchester in 1921
Passages that mention Winchester, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Winchester was now in the forefront of the struggle. After the failure of a characteristic device for entrapping the principal adherents of Matilda in Winchester, Henry broke into open revolt. Matilda got possession of the castle on the hill and a duel of bombardment ensued, as a result of which a disastrous conflagration spread over a great part of the town, destroying many
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
in 1642. He was soon made General of Hampshire, and this county, with the exception of Basing House, which was held for so long by Lord Winchester, remained for about a year under his control. However, no garrison seems to have been left in Winchester, and it was presently seized by Lord Ogle, who was then reinforced by the famous Royalist General, Lord
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
Winchester, 1886 to 1942
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
In 1886, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Winchester’s post office opened in 1887, and the census of 1990 counted 1,689 people here.
How does Winchester rank for history?
Winchester is more historic than 12% of U.S. towns, #631 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 Winchester?
0.0% of Winchester’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 3.4% for a California town; the median home was built in 1999.
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 (8), 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.
2024
2016
2016
2014
2007
2007
2007
2007
