More historic than 21% of U.S. towns · #176 of 285 in Washington. What drives it
Most of Connell was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1974. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1909 on, and the census since 1920.
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1887.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Connell’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Connell is more historic than 21% of U.S. towns, #176 of 285 in Washington. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Connell’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 Connell’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 still be C−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±5.6 points). Two sources give 1883.
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 Connell’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Prior to 1883, the area known as Connell was used by ranchers as open range for cattle and horses. The community was established in 1883 as a junction between the Northern Pacific Railroad and the Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company. The new town was called Palouse Junction by Jacob Cornelius Connell, a railroad official and resident. Palouse Junction was unique on the Ainsworth—Spokane line, in that it was not on a river. It was also the gateway to the Palouse via the OR&N's line to Washtucna. Water for trains and for the town was from public wells dug by the railroad. At some time between 1886 and 1900, the town was renamed to Connell.
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.
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 year, then a sheet.
Grew from 311 people in 1920 to 5,441 in 2020, more than tenfold.
11 censuses, 1920–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Connell’s Wikipedia page.
Questions about Connell’s history
What year was Connell founded?
In 1883, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Connell’s post office opened in 1887, and the census of 1920 counted 311 people here.
How does Connell rank for history?
Connell is more historic than 21% of U.S. towns, #176 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 Connell?
5% of Connell’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.6 points), against a typical 4.3% for a Washington town; the median home was built in 1974.
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), 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.
2013