Fairview dates to 1908, and 1 of its places is on the National Register
More historic than 14% of U.S. towns · #110 of 142 in Oregon. What drives it
Most of Fairview was built recently: 2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1995. Its Register listing is the Fairview City Jail. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1941 on, and the census since 1910.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1883.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Fairview’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Fairview is more historic than 14% of U.S. towns, #110 of 142 in Oregon. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Fairview’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 Fairview’s 0.9 sits near the middle of its state (39% of Oregon towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% 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 (±1.2 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1908.
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 Fairview’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Members of the Multnomah tribe of Chinookan Indians lived in a village on Sauvie Island by the Columbia River (the future site of Fairview) when the Lewis and Clark Expedition visited the area in 1806. By the 1840s and 1850s, white settlers began hay, grain, and livestock operations in what would become eastern Multnomah County. Railroad tracks extended to the area by the 1890s. As the population grew, it may be assumed that residents began referring to the locale as Fairview because of the pleasing views of the nearby Columbia, the Columbia River Gorge, and Mount Hood, though an alternative testimony explains this name originated from the area's ideal lookout spot for approaching hostile natives. Since another community named Fairview already existed on the Oregon Coast, the community's first post office was named Cleone until the coastal post office closed and the name was transferred…
In 1908, according to Wikidata. Fairview’s post office opened in 1883, and the census of 1910 counted 204 people here.
How does Fairview rank for history?
Fairview is more historic than 14% of U.S. towns, #110 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 Fairview?
One place: the Fairview City Jail (listed 2016).
How old are the homes in Fairview?
2% of Fairview’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.2 points), against a typical 5.3% for an Oregon town; the median home was built in 1995.
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 (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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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