On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Saunders Lake is more historic than 7% of U.S. towns. 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 Saunders Lake’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 Saunders Lake’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 (±1.7 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 Saunders Lake’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 Saunders Lake. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1923Reedsport 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 Saunders Lake.
The story so far
Saunders Lake, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Saunders Lake yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Saunders Lake is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Coos County, Oregon, United States. It was first listed as a CDP prior to the 2020 census. As of the 2020 census, Saunders Lake had a population of 1,055. The CDP is in northwestern Coos County, along U.S. Route 101, 11 miles (18 km) north of Coos Bay and 16 miles (26 km) south of Reedsport. Saunders Lake, a small water body, is in the northern part of the CDP, draining north through Clear Lake to Saunders Creek, which flows north to Tenmile Creek between Lakeside and the Pacific Ocean. The Saunders Lake CDP is bordered to the west by the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area.
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.
Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Saunders Lake’s history
How does Saunders Lake rank for history?
Saunders Lake is more historic than 7% of U.S. towns. 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 Saunders Lake?
1% of Saunders Lake’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.7 points), against a typical 5.3% for an Oregon town; the median home was built in 1979.
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.
