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History · Nord

Nord’s post office opened in 1871

Most of Nord was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1972. Below: maps from 1912 on.

1871first post office
0on the National Register
0.0%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Frank Schulenburg · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How Nord began

When was Nord founded?

1871

The Nord post office opened in 1871, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 286155 years
Founding year: the first Nord post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Nord’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 Nord are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19124 editions of the USGS map, 1912 to 1969. Watch Nord change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Nord’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Nord’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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On the map

Nord on the map, 1912 to 1969

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

Nord on the 1912 USGS mapNord on the 1944 USGS mapNord on the 1951 USGS mapNord on the 1969 USGS map1912Nord sheet · 1:31,680

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

The story

How Nord came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Nord.

Read it all →

Nord was platted in 1871 by G. W. Colby following the completion of the Oregon and California Railroad to that point (some sources say the town was laid out in 1870). In 1882, Nord had a hotel, saloon, blacksmith, wagon shop, livery stable, and Good Templars lodge, and was said to ship more grain by rail than any other point in Butte County. Nord had a store until recently, but no longer has any businesses.

A post office operated at Nord from 1871 to 1933, with an interruption during 1919 and 1920.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Nord, 1871 to 1933

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1871Post officeThe Nord post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1912On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  5. 1933Post officeThe Nord post office closes
By decade

Nord, decade by decade

Today1 recent
Aerial view of Nord (November 2023)-01022023Aerial view of Nord (November 2023)-0102
Famous people

Famous people close to Nord

Nobody well known was born in Nord itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Aaron RodgersAmerican football player · b. 1983
Doug LaMalfaAmerican politician and businessman · b. 1960
D
Donovan ScottAmerican actor · b. 1947
Pat MastelottoAmerican musician · b. 1955
Jack YermanAmerican sprinter · b. 1939
Blaire WhiteAmerican YouTuber and political commentator · b. 1993
Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Nord had its own post office from 1871 to 1933.

Nord
1871–1933
18701950today

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

Questions about Nord’s history

What year was Nord founded?

The Nord post office opened in 1871, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

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 (1), Wikipedia, 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.