More historic than 13% of U.S. towns · #114 of 142 in Oregon. What drives it
Most of Boardman was built recently: 7% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1978. Below: maps from 1962 on and the census since 1920.
Founding year: the first Boardman post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1921.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Boardman’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Boardman is more historic than 13% of U.S. towns, #114 of 142 in Oregon. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Boardman’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 Boardman’s 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 (±5.8 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 Boardman’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Boardman was homesteaded in 1903 by Samuel H. Boardman, the first superintendent of the Oregon State Parks System. Boardman and his wife worked for 13 years to develop irrigation for their land; during those years his wife taught school, and Boardman at times worked on railroad construction projects. The Union Pacific Railroad passed through Boardman, where it had a station. The community was platted in 1916 at about the same time Samuel Boardman went to work for the Oregon State Highway Department and became involved in the development of roadside parks.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Boardman. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1962Boardman sheet · 1:24,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Boardman.
People over time
Boardman, census by census
Grew from 113 people in 1920 to 3,828 in 2020, more than tenfold.
11 censuses, 1920–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Boardman’s Wikipedia page.
Places that used to be
Places now gone and burying grounds
Boardman’s post office has been open since 1916.
Gone or out of use
Messnerlocale
1cemetery inside Boardman
Riverview
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Boardman’s history
What year was Boardman founded?
The Boardman post office opened in 1916, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1921.
How does Boardman rank for history?
Boardman is more historic than 13% of U.S. towns, #114 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.
How old are the homes in Boardman?
7% of Boardman’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.8 points), against a typical 5.3% for an Oregon town; the median home was built in 1978.
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 (6), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), 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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