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History · Bangor

Bangor dates to 1855, and 11% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1947 on.

1855founded
0on the National Register
11%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Frank Schulenburg · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How Bangor began

When was Bangor founded?

1855

Bangor dates its founding to 1855 (Wikipedia’s history). Its post office opened in 1857.

2020 census: 695171 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1857.

What stands out about Bangor’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Bangor are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Bangor’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Bangor’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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The story so far

Bangor, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Bangor yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Bangor is a census-designated place in Butte County, California, United States, approximately 1.5 miles (2.4 km) from the Yuba County line. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) feature ID for the community is 218644, and for the census place is 2612459; and the elevation is given as 761 feet (232 m) above mean sea level (AMSL). The community is in a shallow valley with surrounding hills in the 800–950 foot range. The population was 695 at the 2020 census. Bangor was founded as a mining boom-town in 1855 and named by the Lumbert Brothers, early settlers and storekeepers, for their home-town of Bangor, Maine. The first post office was established in 1857. Latitude and longitude for the community…

Bangor was established in 1855. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 646 to 695 (+8%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

Timeline

Bangor, 1855 to 1947

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1855
    FoundingBangor is established
  3. 1857Post officeThe Bangor post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1947On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Bangor, decade by decade

Today6 recent
Bangor Church (2025)-L10001752025Bangor Church (2025)-L1000175Vintage mining equipment, part of a local landowner's display of old-time vehicles and mining gear near the settlement …2012Vintage mining equipment, part of a local landowner's…A vintage truck, part of a local landowner's display of old-time vehicles and mining equipment near the settlement of B…2012A vintage truck, part of a local landowner's display …A vintage truck, part of a local landowner's display of old-time vehicles and mining equipment near the settlement of B…2012A vintage truck, part of a local landowner's display …A sizable barn near the settlement of Bangor, south of Oroville in Butte County, California2012A sizable barn near the settlement of Bangor, south o…A sizable barn near the settlement of Bangor, south of Oroville in Butte County, California2012A sizable barn near the settlement of Bangor, south o…
On the map

Bangor on the map, 1947 to 1994

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Bangor. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Bangor on the 1947 USGS mapBangor on the 1969 USGS mapBangor on the 1994 USGS map1947Bangor sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Bangor.

Places that used to be

Old corners and burying grounds

Bangor’s post office has been open since 1857.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Sunnyslope
1cemetery inside Bangor
Bangor

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Loma RicaIts storyDPalermo1 historic placeC+

Questions about Bangor’s history

What year was Bangor founded?

In 1855, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Bangor’s post office opened in 1857.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

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). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (6), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.