The story
Read it all →How Paul came to be
From Wikipedia’s history of Paul.
Paul was founded in 1907. The town received its name from Charles H. Paul, an engineer who worked on the Minidoka Project.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
DHistory
History · Paul
Paul dates to 1907
More historic than 12% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Most of Paul was built recently: 7% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1972. Below: 2 old photos and papers.
1907founded
0on the National Register
7%homes built before 1940
2old photos & papers
1famous people
Quick answers
How Paul began
When was Paul founded?
1907
Paul dates its founding to 1907 (Wikidata). Its post office opened in 1913.
2020 census: 1,195119 years
How historic is Paul?
D
What drives the grade ↓More historic than 12% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1913.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Paul’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Paul is more historic than 12% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Paul’s overall grade.
Founding era1907, from Wikidata: founded 1900–1944, an older era than 9% of U.S. townsDHomes built before 19407.3% of homes (±7.3) · typical ID town 8.5% · U.S. 8.4%C+National RegisterNo listings counted · typical ID town 8.4 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 12%
NewerOlder
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 Paul’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 (±7.3 points). Two sources give 1907.
Founding year: Wikidata (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 Paul’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
★ What stands out · Help out
Start Paul’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Paul’s history is told.
Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.Timeline
Paul, 1907 to 1920
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
- 20th century
- 1907FoundingPaul is established
- 1913Post officeThe Paul post office opens
- 1920
Born hereDeb Smith is born here
By decade
Paul, decade by decade
Date?
Date?Then & now
Stand where they stood
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.
Retake this view1 East Idaho Street (Commercial Building)
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Paul’s page.
Retake this view · +15Questions about Paul’s history
What year was Paul founded?
In 1907, according to Wikidata. Paul’s post office opened in 1913.
How does Paul rank for history?
Paul is more historic than 12% of U.S. towns. 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 Paul?
7% of Paul’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.3 points), against a typical 8.5% for an Idaho town; the median home was built in 1972.
Memory lane
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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).
From the Library of Congress (2), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.