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C−History
History · Turner

Turner’s post office opened in 1871

More historic than 24% of U.S. towns. What drives it

Most of Turner was built recently: 8% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2003. Below: maps from 1898 on and the census since 1880.

1871first post office
0on the National Register
8%homes built before 1940
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Katr67 · Public domain
Quick answers

How Turner began

When was Turner founded?

1871

The Turner post office opened in 1871, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1905.

First census: 85 in 18802020 census: 2,454155 years

How historic is Turner?

C−

More historic than 24% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Turner post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1905.
History grade

What drives Turner’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Turner is more historic than 24% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.

C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Turner’s overall grade.
Founding era1871, from the first post office: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 19408.1% of homes (±4.8) · typical OR town 5.3% · U.S. 8.4%C+National RegisterNo listings counted · typical OR town 2.9 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 24%
NewerOlder

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 Turner’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 any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to C. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.8 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata gives 1905.

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 Turner’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 Turner are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Mapped building by building3 fire insurance maps, 1898 to 1921, drew every building in Turner.On the map since 19255 editions of the USGS map, 1925 to 1986. Watch Turner change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Turner’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Turner’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
Every building

Turner, building by building, 1898–1921

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 year, then a sheet.

Turner fire insurance map, 1898, sheet 11898Sheet 1 of 1
Edition
Sheets
BrickWoodStone

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

On the map

Turner on the map, 1925 to 1986

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

Turner on the 1925 USGS mapTurner on the 1941 USGS mapTurner on the 1957 USGS mapTurner on the 1969 USGS mapTurner on the 1986 USGS map1925Stayton 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 Turner.

The story so far

Turner, in brief

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

Turner is a city in Marion County, Oregon, United States. The population was 2,454 at the 2020 census, up from 1,854 in 2010. It is part of the Salem Metropolitan Statistical Area. The community was incorporated by the Oregon Legislative Assembly on February 10, 1905. Since 1971, it has been the location of the Enchanted Forest amusement park.

Its first post office opened in 1871. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 1,854 to 2,454 (+32%).

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

Timeline

Turner, 1871 to 1992

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1871Post officeThe Turner post office opens
  3. 1879Born hereDean Cromwell is born here
  4. 20th century
  5. 1925On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  6. 1992Born hereRyan Thompson is born here
By decade

Turner, decade by decade

Today8 recent
WVV Gate Entrance2018WVV Gate EntranceEstate Tower at Sunset2018Estate Tower at SunsetWillamette Valley Vineyards entrance2009Willamette Valley Vineyards entranceTurner Oregon city park2009Turner Oregon city parkThrill-Ville USA 20092009Thrill-Ville USA 2009Thrill-Ville USA 2009 22009Thrill-Ville USA 2009 2Mill Creek at2008Mill Creek atORMap-doton-Turner2004ORMap-doton-Turner
People over time

Turner, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,500188019001920194019601980200020202,454

Grew from 85 people in 1880 to 2,454 in 2020, more than tenfold.

13 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Turner

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

See all →
Dean CromwellAmerican sports coach · b. 1879
R
Ryan ThompsonAmerican baseball pitcher · b. 1992

Questions about Turner’s history

What year was Turner founded?

The Turner post office opened in 1871, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1905.

How does Turner rank for history?

Turner is more historic than 24% 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 Turner?

8% of Turner’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.8 points), against a typical 5.3% for an Oregon town; the median home was built in 2003.

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 (8), 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.