Half of Maple Heights-Lake Desire’s homes were built after 1992
More historic than 17% of U.S. towns · #193 of 285 in Washington. What drives it
Most of Maple Heights-Lake Desire was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1992. Below: maps from 1949 on and the census since 2000.
What drives Maple Heights-Lake Desire’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Maple Heights-Lake Desire is more historic than 17% of U.S. towns, #193 of 285 in Washington. 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 Maple Heights-Lake Desire’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 Maple Heights-Lake Desire’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 two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.5 points).
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 Maple Heights-Lake Desire’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 Maple Heights-Lake Desire yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Maple Heights-Lake Desire is a census-designated place (CDP) in King County, Washington, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 3,873. Based on per capita income, one of the more reliable measures of affluence, Maple Heights-Lake Desire ranks 28th of 522 areas in the state of Washington to be ranked.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 3,152 to 3,873 (+23%).
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.
Maple Heights-Lake Desire on the map, 1949 to 1995
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Maple Heights-Lake Desire. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1949Maple Valley 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 Maple Heights-Lake Desire.
People over time
Maple Heights-Lake Desire, census by census
Between 2,569 and 3,873 people in every census since 2000.
3 censuses, 2000–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Maple Heights-Lake Desire’s Wikipedia page.
Famous people
Famous people close to Maple Heights-Lake Desire
Nobody well known was born in Maple Heights-Lake Desire itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
Questions about Maple Heights-Lake Desire’s history
How does Maple Heights-Lake Desire rank for history?
Maple Heights-Lake Desire is more historic than 17% of U.S. towns, #193 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.
How old are the homes in Maple Heights-Lake Desire?
4% of Maple Heights-Lake Desire’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.5 points), against a typical 4.3% for a Washington town; the median home was built in 1992.
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) 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.
