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DHistory
History · North Plains

North Plains dates to 1910

More historic than 10% of U.S. towns · #120 of 142 in Oregon. What drives it

Most of North Plains was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2000. Below: maps from 1921 on and the census since 1970.

1910founded
0on the National Register
4%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: M.O. Stevens · Public domain
Quick answers

How North Plains began

When was North Plains founded?

1910

North Plains dates its founding to 1910 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1970.

First census: 690 in 19702020 census: 3,441116 years

How historic is North Plains?

D

More historic than 10% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1871.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives North Plains’ History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, North Plains is more historic than 10% of U.S. towns, #120 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 North Plains’ overall grade.
Founding era1910, from Wikidata: founded 1900–1944, an older era than 9% of U.S. townsDHomes built before 19404.4% of homes (±4.6) · typical OR town 5.3% · U.S. 8.4%CNational RegisterNo listings counted · typical OR town 2.9 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 10%
NewerOlder
Oregon towns of 2,500+ (142)Ahead of 16%

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 North Plains’ 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 (±4.6 points). Two sources give 1910.

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 North Plains’ 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 North Plains are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start North Plains’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how North Plains’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
The story

How North Plains came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of North Plains.

Read it all →

Pioneer settlers first arrived in the North Plains area in the 1840s.

The area to be known as the city of North Plains was platted in September 1910 by the Ruth Trust Company of Portland. They purchased area tracts after James J. Hill planned to extend United Railways there.

On June 25, 1963, North Plains voted 90 to 56 to incorporate as a city; at the time the population was around 500.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

North Plains, 1871 to 1940

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1871Post officeThe Glencoe post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1905Post officeThe Glencoe post office closes
  5. 1910
    FoundingNorth Plains is established
  6. 1911Post officeThe North Plains post office opens
  7. 1917Born hereBillie Rogers is born here
  8. 1940On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

North Plains, decade by decade

Today12 recent
Glider in Tow2011Glider in TowGlider at Willamete Valley Soaring Club2011Glider at Willamete Valley Soaring ClubOld building - Glencoe, Oregon2010Old building - Glencoe, OregonNorth Plains Elementary School - Oregon2010North Plains Elementary School - OregonGlencoe, Oregon from Glencoe Road2010Glencoe, Oregon from Glencoe RoadNorth Plains Oregon library2009North Plains Oregon libraryNorth Plains Oregon fire station2009North Plains Oregon fire stationNorth Plains Oregon city hall2009North Plains Oregon city hallNorth Plains Oregon Gliderport2009North Plains Oregon GliderportGlencoe, Oregon building2009Glencoe, Oregon buildingOld School Freight Train Northwest String Summit North Plains OR August 20072007Old School Freight Train Northwest String Summit Nort…ORMap-doton-North Plains2004ORMap-doton-North Plains
On the map

North Plains on the map, 1940 to 1990

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of North Plains. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

North Plains on the 1940 USGS mapNorth Plains on the 1954 USGS mapNorth Plains on the 1961 USGS mapNorth Plains on the 1970 USGS mapNorth Plains on the 1985 USGS mapNorth Plains on the 1990 USGS map1940Hillsboro 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 North Plains.

Every building

North Plains, building by building, 1921

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 sheet.

North Plains fire insurance map, 1921, sheet 11921Sheet 1 of 3
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

People over time

North Plains, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,5001980200020203,441

Grew from 690 people in 1970 to 3,441 in 2020, 4 times over.

6 censuses, 1970–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on North Plains’ Wikipedia page.

Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and places now gone

North Plains’s post office has been open since 1911. Another post office, Glencoe, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Glencoe
1871–1905
North Plains
1911–today
18701950today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Glencoe
Gone or out of use
Glencoe Post Officepost office

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

Questions about North Plains’ history

What year was North Plains founded?

In 1910, according to Wikidata. North Plains’ post office opened in 1871, and the census of 1970 counted 690 people here.

How does North Plains rank for history?

North Plains is more historic than 10% of U.S. towns, #120 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 North Plains?

4% of North Plains’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.6 points), against a typical 5.3% for an Oregon town; the median home was built in 2000.

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 (12), 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.