The story so far
Elk Plain, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Elk Plain yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 14,205 to 14,534 (+2%).
DHistory
History · Elk Plain
Half of Elk Plain’s homes were built after 1993
More historic than 11% of U.S. towns · #217 of 285 in Washington. What drives it
Most of Elk Plain was built recently: 2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1993. Below: maps from 1941 on and the census since 1990.
0on the National Register
2%homes built before 1940
Quick answers
About Elk Plain’s history
How historic is Elk Plain?
D
What drives the grade ↓More historic than 11% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
History grade
What drives Elk Plain’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Elk Plain is more historic than 11% of U.S. towns, #217 of 285 in Washington. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Elk Plain’s overall grade.
Founding eraNo founding year we can rely on, so the grade uses the other two–Homes built before 19402.0% of homes (±1.2) · typical WA town 4.3% · U.S. 8.4%C−National RegisterNo listings counted · typical WA town 0.1 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 11%
NewerOlder
Washington towns of 2,500+ (285)Ahead of 24%
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 Elk Plain’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 (±1.2 points) is firm at this size.
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 Elk Plain’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
★ What stands out · Help out
Start Elk Plain’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Elk Plain’s history is told.
Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.Places that used to be
Old corners
Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.
Hamlets and corners on the map
Golden Horseshoe Mobile Home ParkLittle Cedars Mobile Home ParkOakridge Manor Mobile Home ParkParklane Mobile EstatesRainier West Mobile Home ParkRocky RidgeSilvercrest Mobile Home ParkThree Ponds Mobile Home Park
Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
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.
Add from your albumOn the map
Elk Plain on the map, 1941 to 1997
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Elk Plain. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1941Tacoma South sheet · 1:62,500U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Elk Plain.
People over time
Elk Plain, census by census
Between 12,197 and 15,697 people in every census since 1990.
4 censuses, 1990–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Elk Plain’s Wikipedia page.
Famous people
See all →Famous people close to Elk Plain
Nobody well known was born in Elk Plain itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
Stories next door
History across the town line
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
Questions about Elk Plain’s history
How does Elk Plain rank for history?
Elk Plain is more historic than 11% of U.S. towns, #217 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 Elk Plain?
2% of Elk Plain’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.2 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.
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 U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) 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.