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History · Waukena

Waukena’s post office opened in 1889

Most of Waukena was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1983. Below: maps from 1928 on.

1889first post office
0on the National Register
0.0%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Waukena began

When was Waukena founded?

1889

The Waukena post office opened in 1889, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 80137 years
Founding year: the first Waukena post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Waukena’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 Waukena are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Waukena’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Waukena’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

Waukena, in brief

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

Waukena is a census-designated place in Tulare County, California, United States. Waukena is located on California State Route 137 4 miles (6.4 km) northeast of Corcoran. Waukena has a post office with ZIP code 93282. The population was 80 at the 2020 census. Its name is possible derived from an archaic English interpretation of the Spanish name Joaquina.

Its first post office opened in 1889. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 108 to 80 (-26%).

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

By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

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On the map

Waukena on the map, 1928 to 1950

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

Waukena on the 1928 USGS mapWaukena on the 1942 USGS mapWaukena on the 1950 USGS map1928Waukena 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 Waukena.

Famous people

Famous people close to Waukena

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

See all →
Robert B. LaughlinAmerican physicist · b. 1950
Mick WingertAmerican voice actor · b. 1974
Tyson ChandlerAmerican basketball player · b. 1982
Bob MathiasAmerican athlete and congressman · b. 1930
S
Sean ParnellAmerican politician · b. 1962
Monte MelkonianNational Hero of Armenia · b. 1957

Questions about Waukena’s history

What year was Waukena founded?

The Waukena post office opened in 1889, 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 →
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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 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.