Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Hat Island’s history is told.
From Wikipedia’s history of Hat Island.
For thousands of years, Hat Island (known as č̓əč̓əsəliʔ in the Lushootseed language) was the site of a village of the Snohomish people. Their territory extended over the Snohomish River, as well as parts of Camano and Whidbey islands. The village was located on the north side of the island on a spit, near a spring. There were several longhouses.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Hat Island. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Hat Island.
Nobody well known was born in Hat Island itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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). How TownRatings grades history →
From Wikipedia and U.S. Geological Survey historical maps. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
