More historic than 18% of U.S. towns · #103 of 142 in Oregon. What drives it
Most of Veneta was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1995. Below: maps from 1909 on and the census since 1970.
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1914.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Veneta’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Veneta is more historic than 18% of U.S. towns, #103 of 142 in Oregon. 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 Veneta’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 Veneta’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 is a Census survey estimate (±5.2 points). Two sources give 1912.
Founding year: Wikipedia (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 Veneta’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Veneta was established in 1912 by Edmund Eugene Hunter, who named the settlement after his five-year-old daughter. Veneta post office was established in 1914. Veneta Hunter Vincent, the city's namesake, died in 2000 at age 91. She had attended the city's 70th anniversary party in 1982.
Veneta has been the site of the annual Oregon Country Fair, originally called the Renaissance Faire, since 1970.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Veneta’s history
What year was Veneta founded?
In 1912, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Veneta’s post office opened in 1914, and the census of 1970 counted 1,377 people here.
How does Veneta rank for history?
Veneta is more historic than 18% of U.S. towns, #103 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 Veneta?
6% of Veneta’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.2 points), against a typical 5.3% for an Oregon town; the median home was built in 1995.
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), Wikipedia, 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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