Woodburn’s post office opened in 1871, and 3 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 38% of U.S. towns · #68 of 142 in Oregon. What drives it
Most of Woodburn was built recently: 7% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1978. Its Register listings are the Jesse H. Settlemier House, the Old Woodburn City Hall and the Bank of Woodburn. Its Register listings are the Jesse H. Settlemier House, the Old Woodburn City Hall and the Bank of Woodburn. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1890 on, and the census since 1890.
Founding year: the first Woodburn post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1889.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Woodburn’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Woodburn is more historic than 38% of U.S. towns, #68 of 142 in Oregon. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Woodburn’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 Woodburn’s 1.4 sits near the middle of its state (41% of Oregon towns have fewer) while its 4 historic buildings outnumber those of 68% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to C+. The pre-1940 share (±2.2 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1889 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 Woodburn’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
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.
Originally, the area around Woodburn was inhabited by the Kalapuya Native Americans. After the Provisional Government of Oregon set-up land claims in the Oregon Country, the United States annexed much of the Pacific Northwest and established the Oregon Territory in 1848. Congress passed the Donation Land Claim Act in 1850 and many earlier land claims became donation land claims.
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1cemetery inside Woodburn
Saint Lukes
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Woodburn’s history
What year was Woodburn founded?
The Woodburn post office opened in 1871, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1889.
How does Woodburn rank for history?
Woodburn is more historic than 38% of U.S. towns, #68 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 Woodburn?
Three places: the Jesse H. Settlemier House (listed 1974), the Old Woodburn City Hall (1979) and the Bank of Woodburn (1996).
How old are the homes in Woodburn?
7% of Woodburn’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.2 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 Wikimedia Commons (3), Wikidata (3), the National Register of Historic Places (3), 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), 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.
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