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C+History
History · Burlington

Burlington’s post office opened in 1891, and 1 of its places is on the National Register

More historic than 40% of U.S. towns · #89 of 285 in Washington. What drives it

Most of Burlington was built recently: 7% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1993. Its Register listing is the Burlington Carnegie Library. Below: 4 old photos and papers, maps from 1909 on, and the census since 1910.

1891first post office
1on the National Register
7%homes built before 1940
4old photos & papers
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Burlington’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Burlington began

When was Burlington founded?

1891

The Burlington post office opened in 1891, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 1,302 in 19102020 census: 9,152135 years

How historic is Burlington?

C+

More historic than 40% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Burlington post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Burlington’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Burlington is more historic than 40% of U.S. towns, #89 of 285 in Washington. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.

C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Burlington’s overall grade.
Founding era1891, from the first post office: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 19407.0% of homes (±2.4) · typical WA town 4.3% · U.S. 8.4%C+National Register1 listing, 1.0 per 10,000 residents · typical WA town 0.1 · U.S. 2.4B
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 40%
NewerOlder
Washington towns of 2,500+ (285)Ahead of 69%

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 Burlington’s 1.0 sits near the middle of its state (61% 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 C to B−. The pre-1940 share (±2.4 points) is firm at this size. 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 Burlington’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 4 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Burlington’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Burlington’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
3 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewJohn Beecher Koch stationary, book and …: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story

How Burlington came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Burlington.

Read it all →

Burlington began as a logging camp, established by John P. Millett and William McKay, in 1882. It was officially incorporated on June 16, 1902.

Originally, Burlington's businesses were centered on Fairhaven Avenue. Today, Fairhaven Avenue is the center of Burlington's old downtown, which has since been revitalized.

In December 2013, U.S. District Judge Robert Lasnik determined that Burlington had systematically violated its duty to offer effective legal representation to defendants who couldn't afford an attorney.

The ruling required Burlington and Mount Vernon to hire a public defense supervisor to ensure their defense system complies with constitutional standards.

ChaptersIndigent defense ruling2016 shooting

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Burlington, 1891 to 1940

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1891Post officeThe Burlington post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1913In the archiveJohn Beecher Koch stationary, book and novelty store, Burlington, approximately 1913
  5. 1916BuiltBurlington Carnegie Library is built
  6. 1918Born hereCharles F. Stafford is born here
  7. 1921In the archiveBurlington National Bank
  8. 1930In the archiveEllis Post Card Co. 5803 - Air View, Burlington, Wash back
  9. 1940On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Burlington, decade by decade

3 decades in the archive, from the 1910s to the 1930s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1910s–1930s4 items
John Beecher Koch stationary, book and novelty store, Burlington, approximately 1913c. 1913John Beecher Koch stationary, book and novelty store,…Burlington National Bank1921Burlington National BankEllis Post Card Co. 5803 - Air View, Burlington, Wash back1930sEllis Post Card Co. 5803 - Air View, Burlington, Wash…PostcardEllis Post Card Co. 5803 - Air View, Burlington, Wash front1930sEllis Post Card Co. 5803 - Air View, Burlington, Wash…Postcard
1940s–1990snothing yet
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.
Add from your album
Today7 recent
533 E Fairhaven Ave2018533 E Fairhaven AveCarnegie Libray2013Carnegie LibraySKAT Bus Unloading at Burlington Park & Ride2012SKAT Bus Unloading at Burlington Park & RideBurlington, WA - south side 600 block of E Fairhaven Ave2009Burlington, WA - south side 600 block of E Fairhaven …Burlington, WA - 701 E Fairhaven Ave2009Burlington, WA - 701 E Fairhaven AveWoody debris jam 320882008Woody debris jam 32088Woody debris jam 320872008Woody debris jam 32087
On the map

Burlington on the map, 1940 to 1998

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Burlington. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Burlington on the 1940 USGS mapBurlington on the 1956 USGS mapBurlington on the 1968 USGS mapBurlington on the 1973 USGS mapBurlington on the 1981 USGS mapBurlington on the 1998 USGS map1940Mt Vernon 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 Burlington.

Every building

Burlington, building by building, 1909

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 sheet.

Burlington fire insurance map, 1909, sheet 11909Sheet 1 of 3
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

John Beecher Koch stationary, book and novelty store, Burlington, approximately 1913
Retake this viewJohn Beecher Koch stationary, book and novelty store, Burlington, approximately 1913, c. 1913

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Burlington’s page.

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

1 historic place in Burlington

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
1
each building in a district counts
first listed
1982
Burlington Carnegie Library
Burlington Carnegie Library, built 1916
Buildings
Burlington Carnegie LibraryBuilt 1916

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

People over time

Burlington, census by census

02,0004,0006,0008,00010,0001920194019601980200020209,152

Grew from 1,302 people in 1910 to 9,152 in 2020, 7 times over.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Burlington’s Wikipedia page.

Places that used to be

Old corners

Burlington’s post office has been open since 1891.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Burlington Hill Estates Mobile Home ParkBurlington Mobile ParkLaird Mobile Home Park

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Mount Vernon2 historic placesB−

Questions about Burlington’s history

What year was Burlington founded?

The Burlington post office opened in 1891, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

How does Burlington rank for history?

Burlington is more historic than 40% of U.S. towns, #89 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 Burlington?

One place: the Burlington Carnegie Library (listed 1982).

How old are the homes in Burlington?

7% of Burlington’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.4 points), against a typical 4.3% for a Washington town; the median home was built in 1993.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

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 (11), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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.