The Tehachapi Depot is one of over sixty standard plan No. 23 depots built by the Southern Pacific Railroad between 1896 and 1916. Fewer than a dozen of these depots survive. The Tehachapi Depot is one of the oldest of these surviving depots.

The railroad caused Tehachapi to be founded in its present location. The role of the railroad in the creation and development of Tehachapi can not be underestimated. It was the dominant personal and freight transportation for the community for nearly a hundred years.

The railroad line from Mojave through Tehachapi to Bakersfield is the busiest single track line in the United States. Typically, 40 to 45 freight trains pass through Tehachapi each day.

The Tehachapi Loop, a few miles west of Tehachapi, is famous among railroaders for its unique solution to a severe grading problem. The Loop is a California Historical Landmark, and the entire track - from Caliente through Tehachapi to Mojave - is a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. The Tehachapi Railroad Depot is at the center of this landmark track.

Adapted from the NRHP Nomination dated 2 September 1999.