Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1851.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Dayton’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Dayton is more historic than 76% of U.S. towns, #15 of 142 in Oregon. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Dayton’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 Dayton’s 183 sits above most of its state (97% of Oregon towns have fewer) while its 49 listings outnumber those of 85% 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 (±8.7 points). Two sources give 1850.
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 Dayton’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The city was founded in 1850 by Andrew Smith and Joel Palmer. Palmer, who also served as superintendent of Indian affairs for Oregon, built a flour mill there. Dayton was named for Smith's hometown, Dayton, Ohio. Dayton post office was opened in 1851, with Christopher Taylor serving as postmaster.
There are many historic landmarks throughout the city. The oldest standing structure is the Joel Palmer House, built in 1852 or 1857. It has been on the National Register of Historic Places since March 16, 1987, and has been painstakingly restored. Since 1996, it has been home to a four-star restaurant of the same name as the historic house.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Dayton. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1926Mc Minnville 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 Dayton.
Every building
Dayton, building by building, 1893–1912
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 1850, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Dayton’s post office opened in 1851, and the census of 1880 counted 368 people here.
How does Dayton rank for history?
Dayton is more historic than 76% of U.S. towns, #15 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 Dayton?
49 listings: 46 buildings, among them the Francis Fletcher House (listed 1975, the first), 2 sites, and 1 structure.
How old are the homes in Dayton?
19% of Dayton’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±8.7 points), against a typical 5.3% for an Oregon town; the median home was built in 1979.
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 the Library of Congress (1), Wikidata (17), the National Register of Historic Places (49), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.
