On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Hazel Dell is more historic than 42% of U.S. towns, #85 of 285 in Washington. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Hazel Dell’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 Hazel Dell’s 3.0 sits above most of its state (70% of Washington towns have fewer) while its 7 historic buildings outnumber those of 73% 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 (±0.9 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 Hazel Dell’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Hazel Dell. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1897Portland sheet · 1:62,500
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Hazel Dell.
The story so far
Hazel Dell, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Hazel Dell yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Hazel Dell is an unincorporated area and census-designated place (CDP) in Clark County, Washington, United States, located north and west of Vancouver. As of the 2020 census, Hazel Dell had a population of 23,569. Previous censuses divided the community into two areas, Hazel Dell North and Hazel Dell South.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 19,435 to 23,569 (+21%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
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.
Hazel Dell is more historic than 42% of U.S. towns, #85 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.
What is on the National Register in Hazel Dell?
One place: the Clark County Poor Farm-Southwestern Washington Experiment Station (listed 2013).
How old are the homes in Hazel Dell?
2% of Hazel Dell’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 4.3% for a Washington town; the median home was built in 1989.
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 the National Register of Historic Places (1), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps 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.
