On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Beacon Hill is more historic than 47% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Beacon Hill’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 Beacon Hill’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (27% of Washington 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 (±12.3 points).
Founding year: our sources. 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 Beacon Hill’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Beacon Hill. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1921Kalama 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 Beacon Hill.
The story so far
Beacon Hill, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Beacon Hill yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Beacon Hill is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Cowlitz County, Washington, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 2,211. During the 2010 census, Beacon Hill was part of the West Side Highway CDP. The CDP is in the western part of the county and is bordered to the south and west by Longview Heights, to the northeast by Lexington, and to the east by the Cowlitz River. State Route 411 runs through the east side of the community, following the Cowlitz. It leads south 3 miles (5 km) to Longview and north 9 miles (14 km) to Castle Rock.
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
By decade
No old photos in the archives yet
Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
Beacon Hill is more historic than 47% 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 Beacon Hill?
21% of Beacon Hill’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±12.3 points), against a typical 4.3% for a Washington town; the median home was built in 1968.
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 U.S. Geological Survey historical maps 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.
