More historic than 10% of U.S. towns · #119 of 142 in Oregon. What drives it
Most of Tri-City was built recently: 2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1978. Below: maps from 1954 on and the census since 1990.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Tri-City is more historic than 10% of U.S. towns, #119 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 Tri-City’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 Tri-City’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 (±2.1 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 Tri-City’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Tri-City yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Tri-City (or Tri City) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Douglas County, Oregon, United States. As of the 2020 census, Tri-City had a population of 4,019. The community in floodplain near the Umpqua River is named for the three cities among which it is centered: Myrtle Creek, Canyonville and Riddle. The Tri City School District may have originated the name, which was later adopted by the local sewer district and the former Tri City State Airport (now known as the Myrtle Creek Municipal Airport).
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 3,931 to 4,019 (+2%).
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.
Tri-City is more historic than 10% of U.S. towns, #119 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 Tri-City?
2% of Tri-City’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.1 points), against a typical 5.3% for an Oregon town; the median home was built in 1978.
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, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) 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.
