Beaverton dates to 1847, and 5 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 54% of U.S. towns · #44 of 142 in Oregon. What drives it
Most of Beaverton was built recently: 2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1987. 5 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 14 buildings. Below: maps from 1916 on and the census since 1900.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1872.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Beaverton’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Beaverton is more historic than 54% of U.S. towns, #44 of 142 in Oregon. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Beaverton’s 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 Beaverton’s 2.0 sits near the middle of its state (44% of Oregon towns have fewer) while its 20 historic buildings outnumber those of 79% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to A−. The pre-1940 share (±0.7 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1847.
Founding year: Wikidata (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 Beaverton’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds
Beaverton’s post office has been open since 1872. Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
Beaverton
1872–today
Garden Home
1882–1954
Progress
1889–1904
18701950today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Cedar HillsElmonicaGarden HomeProgressWest SlopeWhitford
Gone or out of use
ArcherlocaleArrowlocaleBeaverton SidinglocaleGarden Home Post Officepost officeGarden Home SchoolschoolGeneral MotorslocaleHefterlocaleLooking Glass ParkparkMedilllocaleMerle Davies SchoolschoolParcourse ParkparkPortland General ElectriclocaleProgress Post Officepost officeReynoldslocaleRichfield Oil CompanylocaleSaint MaryslocaleSaint MaryslocaleSaint Maryslocale
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Beaverton
Neveh ZedekPioneer Catholic Cemetery of Saint Anthony of Padua
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
On the map
Beaverton on the map, 1916 to 1984
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Beaverton. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1916Tualatin 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 Beaverton.
According to Oregon Geographic Names, Beaverton's name is derived from the settlement's proximity to a large body of water resulting from beaver dams.
The area of Tualatin Valley that became Beaverton was originally the home of a Native American tribe known as the Atfalati, which settlers mispronounced as Tualatin. The Atfalati population dwindled in the latter part of the 18th century, and the prosperous tribe was no longer dominant in the area by the 19th century when settlers arrived. The tribe named their village Chakeipi, which translates to "place of the beaver", which early settlers referred to as "Beaverdam."
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.
In 1847, according to Wikidata. Beaverton’s post office opened in 1872, and the census of 1900 counted 249 people here.
How does Beaverton rank for history?
Beaverton is more historic than 54% of U.S. towns, #44 of 142 in Oregon. 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.
What is on the National Register in Beaverton?
5 listings: 4 buildings, among them the Fanno, Augustus, Farmhouse (listed 1984, the first), and 1 historic district, the Beaverton Downtown Historic District, with 14 contributing buildings. 20 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Beaverton?
2% of Beaverton’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 5.3% for an Oregon town; the median home was built in 1987.
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), Wikidata (3), the National Register of Historic Places (5), 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 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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