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C−History
History · Sutherlin

Sutherlin’s post office opened in 1909, and 1 of its places is on the National Register

More historic than 19% of U.S. towns · #101 of 142 in Oregon. What drives it

Most of Sutherlin was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1983. Its Register listing is the Sutherlin Bank Building. Below: maps from 1915 on and the census since 1920.

1909first post office
1on the National Register
5%homes built before 1940
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Sutherlin began

When was Sutherlin founded?

1909

The Sutherlin post office opened in 1909, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1911.

First census: 515 in 19202020 census: 8,524117 years

How historic is Sutherlin?

C−

More historic than 19% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Sutherlin post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1911.
History grade

What drives Sutherlin’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Sutherlin is more historic than 19% of U.S. towns, #101 of 142 in Oregon. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.

C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Sutherlin’s overall grade.
Founding era1909, from the first post office: founded 1900–1944, an older era than 9% of U.S. townsDHomes built before 19404.8% of homes (±2.8) · typical OR town 5.3% · U.S. 8.4%CNational Register1 listing, 1.2 per 10,000 residents · typical OR town 2.9 · U.S. 2.4B−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 19%
NewerOlder
Oregon towns of 2,500+ (142)Ahead of 29%

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 Sutherlin’s 1.2 sits near the middle of its state (41% of Oregon towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% 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 (±2.8 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1911 falls in the same era, so the grade doesn’t depend on which one is used.

Founding year: the first post office (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 Sutherlin’s 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 Sutherlin are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Sutherlin’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Sutherlin’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 so far

Sutherlin, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Sutherlin yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Sutherlin is a city in Douglas County, Oregon, United States. As of the 2020 census, Sutherlin had a population of 8,524, making it the second most populous city in Douglas County. Located just off of Interstate 5, nearby features include Cooper Creek Reservoir, Ford's Pond (treated wastewater), the Umpqua River, a golf course, and numerous vineyards. The City of Sutherlin Police Department also serves the City of Oakland via a paid contract.

Its first post office opened in 1909. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 7,810 to 8,524 (+9%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

Timeline

Sutherlin, 1909 to 1989

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

  1. 20th century
  2. 1909Post officeThe Sutherlin post office opens
  3. 1954On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  4. 1975Born hereStacy Collins is born here
  5. 1989Born hereJustin Parnell is born here
By decade

Sutherlin, decade by decade

Today4 recent
Sutherlin, Oregon2011Sutherlin, OregonSutherlin High School2011Sutherlin High SchoolSutherlin Bank Building2009Sutherlin Bank BuildingORMap-doton-Sutherlin2004ORMap-doton-Sutherlin
On the map

Sutherlin on the map, 1954 to 1988

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

Sutherlin on the 1954 USGS mapSutherlin on the 1988 USGS map1954Sutherlin 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 Sutherlin.

Every building

Sutherlin, building by building, 1915

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.

Sutherlin fire insurance map, 1915, sheet 11915Sheet 1 of 2
BrickWoodStone

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

On the National Register

1 historic place in Sutherlin

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
1
each building in a district counts
first listed
1984
Sutherlin Bank Building
Sutherlin Bank Building
Buildings
Sutherlin Bank BuildingBuilding

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

People over time

Sutherlin, census by census

02,0004,0006,0008,0001920194019601980200020208,524

Grew from 515 people in 1920 to 8,524 in 2020, more than tenfold.

11 censuses, 1920–2020.

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

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Sutherlin

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
S
Stacy CollinsAmerican football coach · b. 1975
J
Justin ParnellAmerican basketball player and coach · b. 1989
Places that used to be

Places now gone

Sutherlin’s post office has been open since 1909.

Gone or out of use
Daugherty Piling Company SpurlocaleSchuman Lumber Company SpurlocaleSutherlin Municipal Airportairport

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

Questions about Sutherlin’s history

What year was Sutherlin founded?

The Sutherlin post office opened in 1909, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1911.

How does Sutherlin rank for history?

Sutherlin is more historic than 19% of U.S. towns, #101 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 Sutherlin?

One place: the Sutherlin Bank Building (listed 1984).

How old are the homes in Sutherlin?

5% of Sutherlin’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.8 points), against a typical 5.3% for an Oregon town; the median home was built in 1983.

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 (4), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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.