The Metlakatla post office opened in 1904, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Metlakahtla (1888), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 823 in 18902020 census: 1,454122 years
How historic is Metlakatla?
C
More historic than 35% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Metlakatla post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Metlakatla’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Metlakatla is more historic than 35% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
C
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Metlakatla’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 Metlakatla’s 8.1 sits above most of its state (75% of Alaska towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% 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 is a Census survey estimate (±4.7 points). 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 Metlakatla’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Metlakatla comes from Maxłaxaała, a Tsimshian word meaning "saltwater passage where the wind dies down." Metlakatla was named after another village of the same name ("Old Metlakatla") in British Columbia, which is on Metlakatla Pass, near Prince Rupert. In a more ancient time, it was a Tlingit hunting ground known as Taquan, or Tàakw.àani. The Tsimshian were granted permission to occupy the land by Chief Johnson of the Tlingit tribe.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
The Metlakatla post office opened in 1904, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Metlakatla rank for history?
Metlakatla is more historic than 35% of U.S. towns. 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 Metlakatla?
One place: the Father William Duncan House (listed 1972).
How old are the homes in Metlakatla?
11% of Metlakatla’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.7 points), against a typical 0.3% for an Alaska town; the median home was built in 1983.
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 Wikimedia Commons (5), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, 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.
1897
c. 1899
1900
