History and culture
Corte Madera's archive turns family memory into town memory
Corte Madera's Archive and History Center grew from local photos and oral histories into a public way to share more than 100 years of town life.
California notes
California Notes, page 45
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History and culture
Cotati's six-sided plaza makes the whole town easier to remember
Cotati's downtown plaza grew from Page's Station and the old Rancho Cotate into a rare six-sided town plan now listed as a California Historical Landmark.
History and culture
Cudahy's small city story starts with a very large rancho
Cudahy's name and layout trace back to Rancho San Antonio, Michael Cudahy, one-acre lots, and a small city beside the Los Angeles River.
History and culture
Daly City's old library sits near the city's first chapter
The Daly City History Guild Museum uses the old John Daly Library near the dairy farm area where earthquake refugees helped the city take shape.
History and culture
Del Mar's fairgrounds turned a small beach town into a summer ritual
Del Mar is small, but the fairgrounds, county fair, racetrack, Bing Crosby story, and beach setting give it a much bigger summer footprint.
History and culture
Del Rey Oaks has a small wetland with a big local job
Frog Pond Wetland Preserve gives tiny Del Rey Oaks a protected wetland stop on the Monterey Peninsula, with habitat, oaks, willows, and careful public access.
History and culture
Dixon May Fair keeps an old farm-town tradition alive
Dixon May Fair connects the city to California fair history, agriculture, community events, nearby Solano and Yolo County towns, and a long-running local gathering.
History and culture
Dorris greets Highway 97 with railroad roots and a tall flag
Dorris grew where the Southern Pacific Railroad crossed Butte Valley, then became known to travelers for its Highway 97 setting and 200-foot flagpole.
History and culture
Dos Palos has a name story locals still care about
Dos Palos traces its name to two trees, then to a farm colony, a nearby Colony Center, and a local pronunciation that lasted for generations.
History and culture
Downey has the oldest Red and White McDonald's still operating
The Lakewood Boulevard McDonald's in Downey keeps an early Golden Arches design alive, with a 1953 Red and White building tied to fast-food history.
History and culture
Duarte's story runs from rancho land to City of Hope
Duarte's local history connects Gabrielino/Tongva land, Rancho Azusa de Duarte, citrus-era growth, health seekers, and City of Hope's medical campus.
History and culture
Dunsmuir is a railroad town with waterfalls close to the tracks
Dunsmuir sits on the Upper Sacramento River near Mount Shasta, with railroad history, an Amtrak stop, botanical gardens, and a careful plan for Mossbrae Falls access.
History and culture
El Monte keeps an End of the Santa Fe Trail marker
Santa Fe Trail Historical Park points to El Monte's early pioneer layer, when some settlers called the area the End of the Santa Fe Trail.
History and culture
El Segundo's name comes from being the second refinery
El Segundo's name points to Standard Oil's second refinery, then the city grew into a South Bay place tied to industry, aviation, and aerospace.
History and culture
Elk Grove's story starts before the stage stop
Elk Grove is known for its 1850 stage stop, but the local story begins with Plains Miwok homelands and continues through Wilton Rancheria.
History and culture
Emeryville's Shellmound story sits under a busy bay city
The Emeryville Shellmound was a major Bay Area Indigenous site, later altered by recreation and rail activity, and it remains an important local memory.
History and culture
Escalon keeps its rail-town memory close to Main Street
Escalon's Main Street Park caboose and historical museum point back to the Santa Fe depot, the first train in 1896, and a town shaped by farm goods moving by rail.
History and culture
Etna grew from mills, creek trouble, and a small Main Street
Etna's story starts with Rough and Ready, Aetna Mills, Etna Creek, and a small Scott Valley town center that still keeps local history close.
History and culture
Exeter turns downtown walls into a walking history gallery
Exeter's mural trail makes downtown feel like an outdoor gallery, with art that points to local farming, heritage, community scenes, and small-town pride.
History and culture
Fairfax sits right by one of mountain biking's home hills
Fairfax's bicycle story connects Mount Tamalpais, early off-road riders, the Repack races, and the Marin Museum of Bicycling on Sir Francis Drake Boulevard.
History and culture
Farmersville keeps its small-town year tied to parades and roots
Farmersville sits between Visalia and the Sierra road, with a tight local identity built around farmland, a Memorial Day parade, and a fall festival.
History and culture
Fillmore's depot shows how the railroad made a valley town
Fillmore's depot story connects the Southern Pacific route, a boxcar town name, the Santa Clara River Valley, and the local museum.
History and culture
Firebaugh began with a ferry, a stage stop, and a road west
Firebaugh's early story runs through Andrew Firebaugh's San Joaquin River ferry, the Butterfield stage route, Pacheco Pass, and a small historic jail.
History and culture
Fletcher Cove began with a bold cut through the bluff
Solana Beach's Fletcher Cove story ties beach access, a 1920s land deal, La Colonia, and the town's older coastal roots together.