More historic than 2% of U.S. towns · #283 of 285 in Washington. What drives it
Most of Mattawa was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1993. Below: maps from 1917 on and the census since 1960.
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Mattawa’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Mattawa is more historic than 2% of U.S. towns, #283 of 285 in Washington. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
D−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Mattawa’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 Mattawa’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 any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D− to D. The pre-1940 share (±1.2 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1909.
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 Mattawa’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The town of Mattawa was originally platted in 1909 by E. and Eva Campbell, but was not incorporated at that time. With the construction of nearby Priest Rapids Dam and Wanapum Dam, the town boomed with construction workers. Mattawa was officially incorporated on June 3, 1958. The Port of Mattawa was also established in 1958. Mattawa is also home to the first straw bale library in the United States. On December 3, 2009, the City of Mattawa became a non-charter code city.
In 1909, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. the census of 1960 counted 394 people here.
How does Mattawa rank for history?
Mattawa is more historic than 2% of U.S. towns, #283 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 Mattawa?
0.0% of Mattawa’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.2 points), against a typical 4.3% for a Washington town; the median home was built in 1993.
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 (6), Wikipedia, 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.
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