Founding year: the first Banks post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1921.
History grade
What drives Banks’ History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Banks is more historic than 18% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Banks’ overall grade.
Oregon towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Oregon town has 2.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Banks’ 0.0 sits below most of its state (18% of Oregon 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 C. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±5.4 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1921 falls in the same era, so the grade doesn’t depend on which one is used.
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 Banks’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Banks yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Banks is a city in Washington County, Oregon, United States, which is located in the Tualatin Valley. It is the southern anchor to the Banks–Vernonia State Trail, which is a 21-mile-long (34 km) linear trail popular with bicyclists, hikers, and equestrians. The population was 1,837 at the 2020 census. The community was named for John and Nancy Banks, who owned a nearby dairy farm. Incorporated in 1921, it is located in the western part of the county where Oregon Route 6 intersects Oregon Route 47.
Its first post office opened in 1902. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 1,777 to 1,837 (+3%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Banks. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1941Gales Creek 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 Banks.
Every building
Banks, building by building, 1921–1928
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
People over time
Banks, census by census
Grew from 209 people in 1930 to 1,837 in 2020, 8 times over.
10 censuses, 1930–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Banks’ Wikipedia page.
Questions about Banks’ history
What year was Banks founded?
The Banks post office opened in 1902, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1921.
How does Banks rank for history?
Banks is more historic than 18% 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 Banks?
12% of Banks’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.4 points), against a typical 5.3% for an Oregon town; the median home was built in 1994.
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 (9), 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 Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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