More historic than 9% of U.S. towns · #236 of 285 in Washington. What drives it
Most of Fircrest was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1966. Below: maps from 1948 on and the census since 1930.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Fircrest is more historic than 9% of U.S. towns, #236 of 285 in Washington. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Fircrest’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 Fircrest’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.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikipedia alone; no second source gives 1925.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to C−. The pre-1940 share (±2.6 points) is firm at this size.
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 Fircrest’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Fircrest was officially incorporated on September 19, 1925. Like its neighbor University Place, it is a middle-class suburb of Tacoma. The community was developed by Edward Bowes, who later gained fame as the host of the Major Bowes Amateur Hour radio talent show. The town attempted to associate itself with academia by naming a number of its streets after universities (e.g. Princeton, Dartmouth, Yale, Vassar, Stanford) and was originally known as Regents Park in a reference to the regents of a university. Some other streets (e.g. Bowes Drive, Spring Street, and Ramsdell Street) were named after those involved in the initial development.
In 1925, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. the census of 1930 counted 441 people here.
How does Fircrest rank for history?
Fircrest is more historic than 9% of U.S. towns, #236 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 Fircrest?
3% of Fircrest’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.6 points), against a typical 4.3% for a Washington town; the median home was built in 1966.
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 Wikipedia, 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.
