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History · Astoria

Astoria dates to 1836, and 24% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1893 on, and the census since 1880.

1836founded
0on the National Register
24%homes built before 1940
2old photos & papers
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Astoria’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Astoria began

When was Astoria founded?

1836

Astoria dates its founding to 1836 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1880.

First census: 1,280 in 18802020 census: 929190 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1837.

What stands out about Astoria’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 2 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 1,684 in 1900; 929 people lived here in 2020.Mapped building by building3 fire insurance maps, 1893 to 1913, drew every building in Astoria.Deep rootsEstablished in 1836: 190 years of Astoria.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Astoria’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Astoria’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewC.B. & Q. Depot and Train, Astoria, Ill…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Astoria, census by census

02004006008001,0001,2001,4001,6001,80018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,684

Peaked at 1,684 in 1900; 929 people lived here in 2020.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Astoria’s Wikipedia page.

Every building

Astoria, building by building, 1893–1913

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.

Astoria fire insurance map, 1893, sheet 11893Sheet 1 of 2
Edition
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

The story so far

Astoria, in brief

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

Astoria is an incorporated town in Fulton County, Illinois, United States. The population was 929 at the 2020 census. It was originally laid out as the town of Washington in 1836, relocated as Vienna in 1837, and renamed as Astoria in 1839. The name honors fur titan John Jacob Astor, who supposedly owned land in or near the town.

Astoria was established in 1836. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 1,141 to 929 (-19%).

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

From the old history books

What they wrote about Astoria in 1879

Passages that mention Astoria, cut from the printed page as they were published.

For a number of years the growth of the town of Astoria was comparatively at a stand-still, but was not unlike all inland towns having no railroad communications. In 1870, as nearly as can be ascertained, Astoria contained a population of 350 persons. At that time a railroad'rivalry existed between…
History of Fulton county, Illinois1879 · page 414Read the page →
Read the text

For a number of years the growth of the town of Astoria was comparatively at a stand-still, but was not unlike all inland towns having no railroad communications. In 1870, as nearly as can be ascertained, Astoria contained a population of 350 persons. At that time a railroad'rivalry existed between the people of Rushville and Macomb, on one hand, and of Astoria and Bushnell on the other. A proposition was set afloat for the purpose of finding a suitable route for the Rockford, Rock Island & St. LouisRailroad. This road had been

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
in an earlv dav and settled in Fulton Co., and shortly afterwards engaged in merchandising about three and a half miles southeast of Astoria. He became ([uite successful, and came to Astoria shortly after the organization of the town and finished and occupied the first building begun in the town, a…
History of Fulton county, Illinois1879 · page 462Read the page →
Read the text

in an earlv dav and settled in Fulton Co., and shortly afterwards engaged in merchandising about three and a half miles southeast of Astoria. He became ([uite successful, and came to Astoria shortly after the organization of the town and finished and occupied the first building begun in the town, and |)robably opened the first stock of iicnei'ai merchandise in Astoria. Here he married Miss Jemima Safford. Mrs. Sharpe died many years ago and was laid at rest in the village cemetery. Mr. S. was united with Miss S. E. Morrison

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Timeline

Astoria, 1836 to 1926

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1836
    FoundingAstoria is established
  3. 1837Post officeThe Astoria post office opens
  4. 1843Born hereThomas Volney Munson is born here
  5. 1875Born hereNell Brooker Mayhew is born here
  6. 20th century
  7. 1900CensusPopulation peaks at 1,684
  8. 1914In the archiveC.B. & Q. Depot and Train, Astoria, Ill. 17288
  9. 1926On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Astoria, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1910s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1910s2 items
C.B. & Q. Depot and Train, Astoria, Ill. 172881914C.B. & Q. Depot and Train, Astoria, Ill. 17288C.B. & Q. Depot and Train, Astoria, Ill. 172881914C.B. & Q. Depot and Train, Astoria, Ill. 17288
1920s–1990snothing yet
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.
Add from your album
Today2 recent
Astoria Town Hall 2026-07-252026Astoria Town Hall 2026-07-25Downtown2020Downtown
On the map

Astoria on the map, 1926 to 1981

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

Astoria on the 1926 USGS mapAstoria on the 1944 USGS mapAstoria on the 1981 USGS map1926Beardstown sheet · 1:62,500

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

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.

C.B. & Q. Depot and Train, Astoria, Ill. 17288
Retake this viewC.B. & Q. Depot and Train, Astoria, Ill. 17288, 1914

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Astoria’s page.

Retake this view · +15
Famous people

2 famous people were born in Astoria

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Thomas Volney MunsonUnited States viticulturist · b. 1843
N
Nell Brooker MayhewAmerican painter, etcher, and art instructor · b. 1875

Questions about Astoria’s history

What year was Astoria founded?

In 1836, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Astoria’s post office opened in 1837, and the census of 1880 counted 1,280 people here.

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 (4), 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, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.