On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Santa Clara is more historic than 9% of U.S. towns, #121 of 142 in Oregon. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Santa Clara’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 Santa Clara’s 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 (±1.2 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 Santa Clara’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 Santa Clara. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1910Eugene 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 Santa Clara.
The story so far
Santa Clara, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Santa Clara yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Santa Clara is a community located in Lane County, Oregon and a neighborhood of Eugene. Prior to a number of partial annexations by the city between 1990 and 2005, Santa Clara was an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Lane County. Its current population is approximately 13,000. According to U.S. Census Bureau figures, the racial composition of Santa Clara's population is 91 percent white, 0.8 percent black, 1.2 percent American Indian, 1.2 percent Asian, 0.2 percent Pacific Islander, 2.2 percent some other race, and 3.4 percent two or more races. Latinos, who may be of any race, form 4.7 percent of Santa Clara's population.
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.
Santa Clara is more historic than 9% of U.S. towns, #121 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 Santa Clara?
2% of Santa Clara’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 1969.
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 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.
