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History · Arlington

Arlington dates to 1877, and 42% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1892 on and the census since 1900.

1877founded

0on the National Register

42%homes built before 1940

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Quick answers

How Arlington began, and where its name came from

When was Arlington founded?

1877

Arlington dates its founding to 1877 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1900.

First census: 312 in 19002020 census: 435149 years

How did Arlington get its name?

Arlington was named after Arlington, Massachusetts.

Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1878. Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓

What stands out about Arlington’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 Arlington are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18923 editions of the USGS map, 1892 to 1985. Watch Arlington change.Boom and bustPeaked at 631 in 1980; 435 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Arlington’s homes were built before 1950.

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Start Arlington’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos

00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s

0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.

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On the map

Arlington on the map, 1892 to 1985

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

1892Kingman sheet · 1:125,000

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

People over time

Arlington, census by census

Peaked at 631 in 1980; 435 people lived here in 2020.

13 censuses, 1900–2020.

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

The story

How Arlington came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Arlington.

Read it all →

Arlington was founded in 1877. It was named after Arlington, Massachusetts. The first post office in Arlington was established in February 1878.

In 1887, the Chicago, Kansas and Nebraska Railway built a main line from Herington through Arlington to Pratt. In 1888, this line was extended to Liberal. Later, it was extended to Tucumcari, New Mexico and El Paso, Texas. It foreclosed in 1891 and taken over by Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway, which shut down in 1980, reorganized as Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas Railroad, merged in 1988 with Missouri Pacific Railroad, and merged in 1997 with Union Pacific Railroad. Most locals still refer to this railroad as the "Rock Island".

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Arlington in 1917

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

Arlington, named after the famous Heights of Arlington, is located eighteen miles southwest of Hutchinson on the Rock Island railroad. It was on the route of the "Sun City Trail" of early days and was a stopping place for haulers because of the abundance of the water and grass. Later it was close t… — **History of Reno County, Kansas**1917 · page 311Read the page →
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Arlington, named after the famous Heights of Arlington, is located eighteen miles southwest of Hutchinson on the Rock Island railroad. It was on the route of the "Sun City Trail" of early days and was a stopping place for haulers because of the abundance of the water and grass. Later it was close to the trail over which cattle were driven from Texas to Abilene. The townsite was laid off in August, 1877. by A. X. Barrel and G. T. Empey. The first building in the town was a three-story frame mill, which was operated by water from the Ninnescah. This building was thirty
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

The next buildingwas a hotel known as the Arlington House, erected by P. Howell. The first postoffice was established on February 7, 1878, when H. H. Purdy was appointed the first postmaster. The first store established in this town was that of M. C. Rogers. The first school in Arlington was establ… — **History of Reno County, Kansas**1917 · page 312Read the page →
Read the text
The next buildingwas a hotel known as the Arlington House, erected by P. Howell. The first postoffice was established on February 7, 1878, when H. H. Purdy was appointed the first postmaster. The first store established in this town was that of M. C. Rogers. The first school in Arlington was established in 1878. It was taught by Miss Juliet Courtright in a small building, privately owned. In the fall of 1879 a frame building was erected for school purposes and later on a brick building was erected.
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

Arlington, 1877 to 1980

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

19th century
1877
FoundingArlington is established
1878Post officeThe Arlington post office opens
1892On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
20th century
1980CensusPopulation peaks at 631

By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

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Questions about Arlington’s history

What year was Arlington founded?

In 1877, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Arlington’s post office opened in 1878, and the census of 1900 counted 312 people here.

Memory lane

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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 Wikipedia, 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 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.

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