Tualatin dates to 1913, and 2 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 19% of U.S. towns · #100 of 142 in Oregon. What drives it
Most of Tualatin was built recently: 0.9% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1992. Its Register listings are the John and Maria Sweek House and the Robbins-Melcher-Schatz Farmstead. Below: maps from 1916 on and the census since 1920.
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1853.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Tualatin’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Tualatin is more historic than 19% of U.S. towns, #100 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 Tualatin’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 Tualatin’s 3.6 sits near the middle of its state (51% of Oregon towns have fewer) while its 10 historic buildings outnumber those of 76% 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 (±0.8 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1913.
Founding year: Wikidata (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 Tualatin’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The name of the city is taken from the Tualatin River, which flows along most of the city's northern boundary. It comes from a Tualatin-Yamhill word that probably means "lazy" or "sluggish," but may also mean "treeless plain," for the plain near the river, or "forked," for its many tributaries. According to Oregon Geographic Names, a post office with the spelling "Tualitin" was established November 5, 1869, and the spelling changed to "Tualatin" in 1915.
In 1913, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Tualatin’s post office opened in 1853, and the census of 1920 counted 234 people here.
How does Tualatin rank for history?
Tualatin is more historic than 19% of U.S. towns, #100 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 Tualatin?
Two places: the John and Maria Sweek House (listed 1974) and the Robbins-Melcher-Schatz Farmstead (1993).
How old are the homes in Tualatin?
0.9% of Tualatin’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 5.3% for an Oregon town; the median home was built in 1992.
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 (6), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikipedia, 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) 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.
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