Kirkland dates to 1888, and 8 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 36% of U.S. towns · #102 of 285 in Washington. What drives it
Most of Kirkland was built recently: 2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1984. Below: maps from 1892 on and the census since 1900.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1881.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Kirkland’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Kirkland is more historic than 36% of U.S. towns, #102 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 Kirkland’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 Kirkland’s 0.9 sits near the middle of its state (60% of Washington towns have fewer) while its 8 listings outnumber those of 74% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to B−. The pre-1940 share (±0.6 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1888.
Founding year: Wikidata (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 Kirkland’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The land around Lake Washington to the east of Seattle was first settled by bands of the indigenous Duwamish people, including the x̌ačua’bš ("lake people") and təbɬtubixʷabš ("people of the loamy place" or "ochre-painted people"). Several Duwamish village sites lie within the modern-day boundaries of Kirkland, including staɬaɬ ("a fathom measure") in the modern-day downtown and təbɬtubixʷ ("loamy place" or "ochre-painted") at Juanita Bay. The indigenous settlements were close to natural resources, including salmon, venison, and wapato plants harvested for their bulbs. Disease such as smallpox eliminated a majority of the local indigenous population with the development around Lake Washington, including lowering the water level for the Ship Canal in 1916 left the remaining population to decline further.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Kirkland. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1950Kirkland sheet · 1:24,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Kirkland.
Every building
Kirkland, building by building, 1892–1912
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
1892Sheet 1 of 1
Edition
Sheets
BrickWoodStone
Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
People over time
Kirkland, census by census
Grew from 264 people in 1900 to 92,175 in 2020, more than tenfold.
13 censuses, 1900–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Kirkland’s Wikipedia page.
Famous people
24 famous people were born in Kirkland
Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.
In 1888, according to Wikidata. Kirkland’s post office opened in 1881, and the census of 1900 counted 264 people here.
How does Kirkland rank for history?
Kirkland is more historic than 36% of U.S. towns, #102 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 Kirkland?
8 listings: 7 buildings, among them the Peter Kirk Building (listed 1973, the first), and 1 structure.
How old are the homes in Kirkland?
2% of Kirkland’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 4.3% for a Washington town; the median home was built in 1984.
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 Wikimedia Commons (2), Wikidata (6), the National Register of Historic Places (8), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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