More historic than 11% of U.S. towns · #53 of 59 in Idaho. What drives it
Most of Fruitland was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1994. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1913 on, and the census since 1950.
Founding year: the first Fruitland post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).
History grade
What drives Fruitland’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Fruitland is more historic than 11% of U.S. towns, #53 of 59 in Idaho. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Fruitland’s overall grade.
Idaho towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Idaho town has 8.4 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Fruitland’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (14% of Idaho towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D− to C−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.4 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 Fruitland’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Fruitland yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Fruitland is a city along the Snake and Payette rivers in Payette County, Idaho, United States. It lies along U.S. Route 95 in the Treasure Valley of southwest Idaho, about 50 miles (80 km) west of Boise on the border with Oregon. It is part of the Ontario Micropolitan Area. Fruitland is named after apple orchards that surround the community, and its slogan is "The Big Apple of Idaho." As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 6,072, up from 4,684 in 2010.
Its first post office opened in 1910. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 4,684 to 6,072 (+30%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Fruitland, 1910 to 1960
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
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.
Grew from 573 people in 1950 to 6,072 in 2020, more than tenfold.
8 censuses, 1950–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Fruitland’s Wikipedia page.
Places that used to be
Old corners
Fruitland’s post office has been open since 1910.
Hamlets and corners on the map
EiffieGayway CornerIngard
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Fruitland’s history
What year was Fruitland founded?
The Fruitland post office opened in 1910, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Fruitland rank for history?
Fruitland is more historic than 11% of U.S. towns, #53 of 59 in Idaho. 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.
How old are the homes in Fruitland?
6% of Fruitland’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.4 points), against a typical 8.5% for an Idaho town; the median home was built in 1994.
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 (10), the Library of Congress (2), 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), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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