More historic than 10% of U.S. towns · #232 of 285 in Washington. What drives it
Most of Mount Vista was built recently: 1% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2000. Below: maps from 1897 on and the census since 2000.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Mount Vista is more historic than 10% of U.S. towns, #232 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 Mount Vista’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 Mount Vista’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 (±1.0 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 Mount Vista’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 Mount Vista. 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 Mount Vista.
The story so far
Mount Vista, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Mount Vista yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Mount Vista is a census-designated place (CDP) in Clark County, Washington, United States. It includes the Vancouver campus of Washington State University. The population of Mount Vista was 10,051 at the 2020 census. Based on per capita income, one of the more reliable measures of affluence, Mount Vista ranks 66th of 614 areas in the state of Washington to be ranked.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 7,850 to 10,051 (+28%).
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.
Mount Vista is more historic than 10% of U.S. towns, #232 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 Mount Vista?
1% of Mount Vista’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.0 points), against a typical 4.3% for a Washington town; the median home was built in 2000.
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.
