West’s post office opened in 1880, and 49% of its homes were built before 1940
1 place in town is on the National Register, among them a historic district with 61 buildings.
How West began
When was West founded?
The West post office opened in 1880, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, West Station (1860), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
1 listing protects 61 historic buildings
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
Architectural styles listings
All 1 listings
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Lost post offices and burying grounds
West’s post office has been open since 1880. Another post office, West Station, opened and closed inside today’s town.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about West’s history
What year was West founded?
The West post office opened in 1880, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
What is on the National Register in West?
One place: the West Historic District (listed 1993).
Memory lane
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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 the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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.