More historic than 12% of U.S. towns · #52 of 59 in Idaho. What drives it
Most of Homedale was built recently: 7% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1973. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1898 on, and the census since 1930.
Founding year: the first Homedale post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Homedale’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Homedale is more historic than 12% of U.S. towns, #52 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 Homedale’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 Homedale’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 (±4.5 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 Homedale’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Homedale was first settled by Jacob Mussell in the late 19th century. In 1898 Jacob Mussell built a ferry boat to help settlers cross the Snake River making Homedale more accessible. By 1914 Homedale had a mayor, a council, a schoolhouse, and a railroad though it wouldn't be an official city until 1920. In 1914 Austrians were lured to Homedale and promised good farming ground. When they arrived in Homedale they found the land undeveloped though they still had to buy the land. Today there still is an Austrian Town in Homedale. Basque culture is also deeply rooted in Homedale.
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 Homedale post office opened in 1900, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Homedale rank for history?
Homedale is more historic than 12% of U.S. towns, #52 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 Homedale?
7% of Homedale’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.5 points), against a typical 8.5% for an Idaho town; the median home was built in 1973.
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 (3), Wikipedia, 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) 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.
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