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History · West York

West York’s post office opened in 1878, and 90% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1957 on.

1878first post office
0on the National Register
90%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How West York began

When was West York founded?

1878

The West York post office opened in 1878, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 74148 years
Founding year: the first West York post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about West York’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 West York are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of West York’s homes were built before 1938.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start West York’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story so far

West York, in brief

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

West York is an unincorporated census-designated place in Crawford County, Illinois, United States. West York is 4.5 miles (7.2 km) north of Hutsonville. West York has a post office with ZIP code 62478. As of the 2020 census, the population was 74.

Its first post office opened in 1878. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 129 to 74 (-43%).

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.

Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
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On the map

West York on the map, 1957 to 1998

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

West York on the 1957 USGS mapWest York on the 1966 USGS mapWest York on the 1998 USGS map1957Hutsonville 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 West York.

Famous people

Famous people close to West York

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

See all →
William Harrison HaysAmerican politician · b. 1879
Fred DuboisAmerican politician · b. 1851
W
Walter BullockAmerican screenwriter and lyricist · b. 1907
Frank AydelotteAmerican scholar · b. 1880
R
Robert CoulsonAmerican writer · b. 1928
D
Dave CrooksAmerican politician · b. 1963

Questions about West York’s history

What year was West York founded?

The West York post office opened in 1878, 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. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.