1 of Oatfield’s places is on the National Register
More historic than 48% of U.S. towns · #52 of 142 in Oregon. What drives it
Its Register listing is the John and Elizabeth Kinsman House. Most of Oatfield was built recently: 8% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1975. Below: maps from 1914 on.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Oatfield is more historic than 48% of U.S. towns, #52 of 142 in Oregon. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Oatfield’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 Oatfield’s 2.3 sits near the middle of its state (44% of Oregon towns have fewer) while its 3 historic buildings outnumber those of 65% 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 (±2.9 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 Oatfield’s 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 Oatfield. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1914Oregon City 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 Oatfield.
The story so far
Oatfield, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Oatfield yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Oatfield is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States. It is in the Portland metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, Oatfield had a population of 13,977. It is named after Oatfield Road, which runs between Milwaukie and Gladstone. Oatfield Road was named for the Oatfield family, well-known pioneers of the area.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 13,415 to 13,977 (+4%).
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.
Oatfield is more historic than 48% of U.S. towns, #52 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 Oatfield?
One place: the John and Elizabeth Kinsman House (listed 2021).
How old are the homes in Oatfield?
8% of Oatfield’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.9 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 the National Register of Historic Places (1), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps 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.
