Photo: Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0
Quick answers
How Egan began
When was Egan founded?
1903
The Egan post office opened in 1903, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Regan (1888), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
2020 census: 618123 years
How historic is Egan?
D−
Among the newest of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Egan post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Egan’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Egan is among the newest of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
D−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Egan’s overall grade.
Louisiana towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Louisiana town has 3.8 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Egan’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (21% of Louisiana 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 still be D−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.2 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 Egan’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The town of Egan was first known as Jonas Cove. After the postmaster of the time, it became known as Regan for a short while. In 1899, the settlement acquired the name Canal Switch when canal workers for W. W. Duson built a warehouse for the convenience of rice farmers in the area. The Southern Pacific Railroad operated a switch there to handle shipping, hence the name. The final name change was in honor of William M. Egan, the president of the company that built the rice mill at Egan and developed the town.
Egan’s post office has been open since 1903. Another post office, Regan, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Regan
1888–1891
Egan
1903–today
18801950today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Oriza
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Egan’s history
What year was Egan founded?
The Egan post office opened in 1903, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Egan rank for history?
Egan is among the newest 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 Egan?
0.0% of Egan’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.2 points), against a typical 3.4% for a Louisiana town; the median home was built in 1975.
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 (1), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.
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