Most of Geneva was built recently: 10% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1981. Below: maps from 1954 on and the census since 2000.
Founding year: the first Geneva post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).
History grade
What drives Geneva’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Geneva is more historic than 28% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Geneva’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 Geneva’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 range from C− to C. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±5.1 points). 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 Geneva’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Geneva yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Geneva is an unincorporated area and census-designated place (CDP) in Whatcom County, Washington, United States. The population was 2,652 at the 2020 census. Based on per capita income, Geneva ranks 85th of 522 areas in the state of Washington to be ranked. It is also the highest rank achieved in Whatcom County.
Its first post office opened in 1888. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 2,321 to 2,652 (+14%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Geneva, 1888 to 1954
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
The Geneva post office opened in 1888, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Geneva rank for history?
Geneva is more historic than 28% of U.S. towns. 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 Geneva?
10% of Geneva’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.1 points), against a typical 4.3% for a Washington town; the median home was built in 1981.
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), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) 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.
