The Altamont post office opened in 1875, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Elston (1870), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
First census: 454 in 18902020 census: 1,061151 years
How did Altamont get its name?
Altamont was named after Altamont, Illinois.
How historic is Altamont?
C+
More historic than 43% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Altamont is more historic than 43% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Altamont’s overall grade.
Kansas towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Kansas town has 5.1 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Altamont’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (19% of Kansas 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 B. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±10.7 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 Altamont’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Altamont had its start in the year 1879 by the building of the railroad through that territory. The first settlers of Altamont was the Huston family. The present day street is named after them. When they went to the nearby town of Oswego, people would ask them where they lived. They would say about a mile east of the lone tree. Since there weren't many trees in Kansas at the time this would be served as a landmark. It was named after Altamont, Illinois. Altamont was incorporated in 1884.
Altamont’s post office has been open since 1875. Another post office, Elston, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Elston
1870–1875
Altamont
1875–today
18701950today
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Altamont’s history
What year was Altamont founded?
The Altamont post office opened in 1875, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Altamont rank for history?
Altamont is more historic than 43% 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 Altamont?
25% of Altamont’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±10.7 points), against a typical 10% for a Kansas 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, 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.
2026
2026
2005
