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A−History
History · Coburg

Coburg’s post office opened in 1884, and 18% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 76% of U.S. towns. What drives it

3 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 99 buildings.

1884first post office
3on the National Register
18%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Coburg began

When was Coburg founded?

1884

The Coburg post office opened in 1884, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1893.

2020 census: 1,306142 years

How historic is Coburg?

A−

More historic than 76% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Coburg post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1893.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Coburg’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Coburg is more historic than 76% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.

A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Coburg’s overall grade.
Founding era1884, from the first post office: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 194017.6% of homes (±8.9) · typical OR town 5.3% · U.S. 8.4%BNational Register3 listings, 102 historic buildings, 627 per 10,000 residents · typical OR town 2.9 · U.S. 2.4A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 76%
NewerOlder

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 Coburg’s 627 sits above most of its state (100% of Oregon towns have fewer) while its 102 historic buildings outnumber those of 90% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B− to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±8.9 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1893 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 Coburg’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Coburg are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.A historic districtThe Coburg Historic District takes in 99 historic buildings.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Coburg’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Coburg’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the National Register

3 listings protect 102 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
3
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
102
each building in a district counts
first listed
1980
Oregon Railway and Navigation Company Bridge
Nelson and Margret Mathews HouseCoburg Historic District
BuildingsDistrictsStructures

Architectural styles listings

Vernacular1
Colonial Revival1
Craftsman Bungalow1
Classical Revival1
Vernacular Gothic1
Commercial False Front1
Oregon Railway and Navigation Company BridgeBuilt 1887
Nelson and Margret Mathews HouseVernacular
Coburg Historic DistrictClassical Revival

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

The story

How Coburg came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Coburg.

Read it all →

The city was originally named Diamond after John Diamond, an early pioneer in the area, on whose land claim the city was located. The city's current name comes from a stallion that was named after the Coburg district of Bavaria, Germany, from whence the horse had been imported. The Coburg Historic District was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. The period of significance of the buildings in the district dates back to 1875. The citizens elected Carol Heinkel first woman mayor in 1988. The City installed a sewer system in 2011 to 2015, leading to a new period of growth in both residential and commercial investment.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Coburg, 1884 to 1958

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1884Post officeThe Coburg post office opens
  3. 1887BuiltOregon Railway and Navigation Company Bridge is built
  4. 20th century
  5. 1921Born hereHowie Fox is born here
  6. 1958Post officeThe Coburg post office closes
By decade

Coburg, decade by decade

Today4 recent
Agrarian Ales-22013Agrarian Ales-2Agrarian Ales-12013Agrarian Ales-1McKenzie River Panorama2011McKenzie River PanoramaORMap-doton-Coburg2004ORMap-doton-Coburg
Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Coburg had its own post office from 1884 to 1958.

Coburg
1884–1958
18801950today

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Questions about Coburg’s history

What year was Coburg founded?

The Coburg post office opened in 1884, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1893.

How does Coburg rank for history?

Coburg is more historic than 76% 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.

What is on the National Register in Coburg?

Three places: the Oregon Railway and Navigation Company Bridge (listed 1980), the Nelson and Margret Mathews House (1984) and the Coburg Historic District (1986).

How old are the homes in Coburg?

18% of Coburg’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±8.9 points), against a typical 5.3% for an Oregon town; the median home was built in 1976.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

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).

From Wikimedia Commons (4), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (3), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.