Bothell dates to 1870, and 7 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 36% of U.S. towns · #99 of 285 in Washington. What drives it
Most of Bothell was built recently: 2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1992. Below: maps from 1912 on and the census since 1910.
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1888.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Bothell’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Bothell is more historic than 36% of U.S. towns, #99 of 285 in Washington. 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 Bothell’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 Bothell’s 2.4 sits above most of its state (67% of Washington towns have fewer) while its 12 historic buildings outnumber those of 77% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to B. The pre-1940 share (±0.6 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1870.
Founding year: Wikidata (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 Bothell’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Canyon Mobile ParkCanyon ParkCanyon Recreational Vehicle ParkCascade Vista Mobile EstatesGreen Acres Mobile Home ParkHolly Hills Mobile Home ParkLazy Wheels Mobile ParkNorthwest Mobile Home ParkRiver Shores Mobile Home ParkRiverside Mobile EstatesThrashers CornerValley View Mobile ManorWayneWoodcrest Estates Mobile Home Park
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
On the National Register
7 historic places in Bothell
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
The Sammamish River valley from Lake Washington to Issaquah Creek was first inhabited by the indigenous Sammamish people (Lushootseed: sc̓ababš), a Coast Salish group with an estimated population of 80 to 200 around 1850. The Sammamish had a major winter village, ƛ̕ax̌ʷadis, at the mouth of the Sammamish River, between what is now Bothell and Kenmore. Although the Sammamish resisted removal efforts by settlers, they were eventually removed to Fort Kitsap following the 1855–1856 Puget Sound War. Some Sammamish continued to live in the area and worked as laborers and farmers, but the village of ƛ̕ax̌ʷadis was later destroyed.
In 1870, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Bothell’s post office opened in 1888, and the census of 1910 counted 599 people here.
How does Bothell rank for history?
Bothell is more historic than 36% of U.S. towns, #99 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.
What is on the National Register in Bothell?
7 listings: 6 buildings, among them the Dr. Reuben Chase House (listed 1990, the first), and 1 site. 12 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Bothell?
2% of Bothell’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 4.3% for a Washington town; the median home was built in 1992.
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 Wikidata (5), the National Register of Historic Places (7), 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.
