Most of Anderson Island was built recently: 9% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1993. Its Register listing is the Anderson Island School. Below: maps from 1948 on.
The Anderson Island post office opened in 1958, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Yoman (1908), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
2020 census: 1,30268 years
How historic is Anderson Island?
C
More historic than 30% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Anderson Island post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Anderson Island’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Anderson Island is more historic than 30% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
C
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Anderson Island’s overall grade.
Few Washington towns list much on the Register (a typical Washington town has 0.1 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Anderson Island’s 6.9 sits above most of its state (80% of Washington towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to B. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±11.7 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
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 Anderson Island’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The island was part of the territory of the Steilacoom people, a Coast Salish tribe.
The island was named in 1841 by Charles Wilkes of the United States Exploring Expedition. Given a warm reception at Fort Nisqually by Mr. Anderson and Captain McNeill, and assistance to aid his operations, Wilkes repaid their kindness by naming the two nearby islands after these two men.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Anderson Island. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1948Anderson Island sheet · 1:24,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Anderson Island.
On the National Register
1 historic place in Anderson Island
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Places that used to be
Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds
Anderson Island had its own post office from 1958 to 1967. Another post office, Yoman, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Yoman
1908–1957
Anderson Island
1958–1967
19001960today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Johnson LandingYoman
1cemetery inside Anderson Island
Anderson Island
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Anderson Island’s history
What year was Anderson Island founded?
The Anderson Island post office opened in 1958, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Anderson Island rank for history?
Anderson Island is more historic than 30% 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.
What is on the National Register in Anderson Island?
One place: the Anderson Island School (listed 1987).
How old are the homes in Anderson Island?
9% of Anderson Island’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±11.7 points), against a typical 4.3% for a Washington town; the median home was built in 1993.
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 the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.
