Juneau’s post office opened in 1882, and 24 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 60% of U.S. towns · #3 of 41 in Alaska. What drives it
Most of Juneau was built recently: 7% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1982. 24 places in town are on the National Register, among them seven historic districts with 144 buildings between them. Below: maps from 1949 on and the census since 1890.
The Juneau post office opened in 1882, the earliest record of the town by name. Ten smaller post offices, Douglas (1887), Snettisham (1900) and Jualin (1901), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 1,253 in 18902020 census: 32,255144 years
How historic is Juneau?
B
More historic than 60% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Juneau post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Juneau’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Juneau is more historic than 60% of U.S. towns, #3 of 41 in Alaska. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Juneau’s overall grade.
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 Juneau’s 50.6 sits above most of its state (94% of Alaska towns have fewer) while its 161 historic buildings outnumber those of 92% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B+. The pre-1940 share (±1.4 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
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 →
What stands out about Juneau’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The Gastineau Channel was a fishing place for the Auke (A'akw Kwáan) and Taku tribes, who had inhabited the surrounding area for thousands of years. The A'akw Kwáan had a village and a burying ground here. In the 21st century, it is known as Indian Point. They annually harvested herring during the spawning season.
The Juneau post office opened in 1882, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Juneau rank for history?
Juneau is more historic than 60% of U.S. towns, #3 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 Juneau?
24 listings: 16 buildings, among them the St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church (listed 1973, the first), 7 historic districts with 144 contributing buildings, and 1 structure. 161 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Juneau?
7% of Juneau’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.4 points), against a typical 0.3% for an Alaska town; the median home was built in 1982.
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 (24), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), 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.
