Leavenworth dates to 1885, and 16% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 69% of U.S. towns · #26 of 285 in Washington. What drives it
2 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 3 buildings. Below: 3 old photos and papers, maps from 1909 on, and the census since 1910.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1891.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Leavenworth’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Leavenworth is more historic than 69% of U.S. towns, #26 of 285 in Washington. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Leavenworth’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 Leavenworth’s 46.7 sits above most of its state (94% of Washington towns have fewer) while its 12 historic buildings outnumber those of 77% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±5.2 points). Two sources give 1885.
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 Leavenworth’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The area near the confluence of Icicle Creek and the Wenatchee River in modern-day Leavenworth is within the traditional territories of the indigenous Wenatchi and Yakama peoples. The tribes had settlements on both waterways, including the villages of scəm̓ ̓áw̓s and sĭnpŭsqốĭsoḣ near modern-day Leavenworth, which was also a camas and root-gathering area. The Wenatchi and Yakama were signatories to the 1855 Treaty of Walla Walla; an Indian reservation for the Wenatchi covering 36 square miles (93 km2) around a fishery at the confluence was promised in the treaty but never surveyed by the federal government. Most members of the Wenatchi relocated to the Colville Indian Reservation and Yakama Indian Reservation in the early 20th century, while few remained in the Leavenworth and Cashmere area.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings 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 Leavenworth. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1964Leavenworth 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 Leavenworth.
Every building
Leavenworth, building by building, 1909–1921
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.
Leavenworth’s post office has been open since 1892. Another post office, Icicle, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Icicle
1891–1892
Leavenworth
1892–today
18901960today
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Leavenworth’s history
What year was Leavenworth founded?
In 1885, according to Wikidata. Leavenworth’s post office opened in 1891, and the census of 1910 counted 1,551 people here.
How does Leavenworth rank for history?
Leavenworth is more historic than 69% of U.S. towns, #26 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 Leavenworth?
Two places: the Leavenworth Ranger Station (listed 1986) and the Leavenworth Ski Hill Historic District (2013).
How old are the homes in Leavenworth?
16% of Leavenworth’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.2 points), 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 (4), the Library of Congress (14), the National Register of Historic Places (2), 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.
1912
2018
2018
2018
2018
2018
2018
2018
2018
2018
2018
2018
2013
2010
2010
2008
![Power plant on G.N. Ry. [i.e. Great Northern Railway], near Leavenworth, Wash](https://images.townratings.com/story/18361/e43662aea585c9d1be0f-l.jpg)
