More historic than 11% of U.S. towns · #117 of 142 in Oregon. What drives it
Most of Four Corners was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1975. Below: maps from 1925 on and the census since 1950.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Four Corners is more historic than 11% of U.S. towns, #117 of 142 in Oregon. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Four Corners’ 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 Four Corners’ 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 two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share (±1.9 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: our sources. 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 Four Corners’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Four Corners. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1925Stayton 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 Four Corners.
The story so far
Four Corners, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Four Corners yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Four Corners is an unincorporated area and census-designated place (CDP) in Marion County, Oregon, United States, just outside the city limits of Salem but within the city's urban growth boundary. It is part of the Salem Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population of the CDP was 16,740 at the 2020 census. It is named after the intersection of State Street and Lancaster Drive at the center of the community.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 15,947 to 16,740 (+5%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
By decade
No old photos in the archives yet
Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
Four Corners is more historic than 11% of U.S. towns, #117 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 Four Corners?
3% of Four Corners’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.9 points), against a typical 5.3% for an Oregon town; the median home was built in 1975.
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 U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) 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.
