College’s post office opened in 1926, and 4 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 19% of U.S. towns · #23 of 41 in Alaska. What drives it
Most of College was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1980.
How College began
When was College founded?
The College post office opened in 1926, the earliest record of the town by name.
How historic is College?
More historic than 19% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
What drives College’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, College is more historic than 19% of U.S. towns, #23 of 41 in Alaska. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
Alaska towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Alaska town has 3.3 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so College’s 6.7 sits above most of its state (71% of Alaska towns have fewer) while its 8 historic buildings outnumber those of 74% of U.S. towns.
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 →
4 historic places in College
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
Architectural styles listings
All 4 listings
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds
College had its own post office from 1926 to 1966.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
History across the town line
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
Questions about College’s history
What year was College founded?
The College post office opened in 1926, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does College rank for history?
College is more historic than 19% of U.S. towns, #23 of 41 in Alaska. 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 College?
4 listings: 3 buildings, among them the Rainey's Cabin (listed 1975, the first), and 1 site. 8 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in College?
0.0% of College’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 0.3% for an Alaska town; the median home was built in 1980.
Memory lane
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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).
From the National Register of Historic Places (4), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) 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.