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History · Mountain View

Mountain View dates to 1879, and 63% of its homes were built before 1940

1879founded
0on the National Register
63%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answers

How Mountain View began

When was Mountain View founded?

1879

Mountain View dates its founding to 1879 (Wikidata).

2020 census: 541147 years
Founding year: Wikidata.The full story ↓

What stands out about Mountain View’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 Mountain View are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Mountain View’s homes were built before 1938.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Mountain View’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Mountain View’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
The story

How Mountain View came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Mountain View.

Read it all →

Mountain View was incorporated in 1904 on the land occupied by the Berkeley Annex subdivision established in 1888, which itself was part of the Berkeley Farm founded by John Brisben Walker in 1879.

The town grew to approximately 500 residents living in 272 houses by 2008, with approximately 20 businesses in operation, but occupying a total of only 12 square blocks "sandwiched between Wheat Ridge and Denver."

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Mountain View, decade by decade

Today3 recent
Mozilla Mountain View Kitchen2014Mozilla Mountain View KitchenMountainViewTownHall2009MountainViewTownHallCOMap-doton-MountainView2005COMap-doton-MountainView
Famous people

Famous people close to Mountain View

Nobody well known was born in Mountain View itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
David FincherAmerican film director · b. 1962
John L. HallAmerican physicist · b. 1934
Douglas FairbanksAmerican actor, screenwriter, director, and pro… · b. 1883
AnnaSophia RobbAmerican actress · b. 1993
John SearleAmerican philosopher · b. 1932
Paul M. RomerAmerican economist · b. 1955
Places that used to be

Places now gone

Gone or out of use
Our Lady of the Rosary Academyschool

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.

Wheat Ridge5 historic placesC+

Questions about Mountain View’s history

What year was Mountain View founded?

In 1879, according to Wikidata.

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). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (3), Wikipedia 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.