More historic than 12% of U.S. towns · #211 of 285 in Washington. What drives it
Most of Benton City was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1998. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1917 on, and the census since 1950.
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1888.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Benton City’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Benton City is more historic than 12% of U.S. towns, #211 of 285 in Washington. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Benton City’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 Benton City’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 any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to C−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±8.1 points). Two sources give 1909.
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 Benton City’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Benton City was originally platted by the North Coast Railroad in 1909. The line was originally conceived as the North Coast Railroad in 1909, then came under ownership of the Oregon-Washington Railroad and Navigation Company in 1913 when North Coast was merged with Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company before becoming part of the Union Pacific Railroad. [1] It took its name from Benton S. Groscup (and not the county's namesake), who was influential in the separation of Benton County from Yakima County. Freight and passenger depots were built by the railroad in 1910.
The town was officially incorporated July 2, 1945. Irrigation water was brought to the area via the Sunnyside Canal in 1947, allowing the area to grow considerably.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Grew from 863 people in 1950 to 3,479 in 2020, 4 times over.
8 censuses, 1950–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Benton City’s Wikipedia page.
Places that used to be
Lost post offices and old corners
Benton City’s post office has been open since 1911. Another post office, Kiona, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Kiona
1888–1972
Benton City
1911–today
18801950today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Kiona
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Benton City’s history
What year was Benton City founded?
In 1909, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Benton City’s post office opened in 1888, and the census of 1950 counted 863 people here.
How does Benton City rank for history?
Benton City is more historic than 12% of U.S. towns, #211 of 285 in Washington. 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 Benton City?
5% of Benton City’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±8.1 points), against a typical 4.3% for a Washington town; the median home was built in 1998.
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 (2), 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) 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.
2013
