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B−History
History · North Bend

North Bend dates to 1889, and 4 of its places are on the National Register

More historic than 49% of U.S. towns · #64 of 285 in Washington. What drives it

4 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 9 buildings. Most of North Bend was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1993. Below: 12 old photos and papers, maps from 1911 on, and the census since 1910.

1889founded
4on the National Register
4%homes built before 1940
12old photos & papers
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From North Bend’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How North Bend began

When was North Bend founded?

1889

North Bend dates its founding to 1889 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1910.

First census: 299 in 19102020 census: 7,461137 years

How historic is North Bend?

B−

More historic than 49% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1890.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives North Bend’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, North Bend is more historic than 49% of U.S. towns, #64 of 285 in Washington. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of North Bend’s overall grade.
Founding era1889, from Wikidata: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 19404.2% of homes (±3.1) · typical WA town 4.3% · U.S. 8.4%CNational Register4 listings, 12 historic buildings, 15.1 per 10,000 residents · typical WA town 0.1 · U.S. 2.4A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 49%
NewerOlder
Washington towns of 2,500+ (285)Ahead of 78%

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 North Bend’s 15.1 sits above most of its state (89% 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 B. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.1 points). Two sources give 1889.

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 North Bend’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

Lost villages2 post offices opened and closed inside today’s North Bend, and 2 old place names are still on the map.A town in old photos12 old photos, postcards and papers.Landmarks on the Register4 places on the National Register.
★ What stands out · Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and places now gone

North Bend’s post office has been open since 1925. Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Mountain View
1890–1890
Tanner
1907–1912
North Bend
1925–today
18901960today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Mount Si Mobile Home ParkTanner
Gone or out of use
North Bend Airstripairport

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

By decade

North Bend, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1900s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1900s12 items
Big fir1907Big firBig cedar1908Big cedarBig cedar1908Big cedarBig fir on Wm. Mullen Ranch near North Bend, Wash1908Big fir on Wm. Mullen Ranch near North Bend, WashUncle Si's Cabin, oldest in Snoquaimie Valley1908Uncle Si's Cabin, oldest in Snoquaimie ValleyUncle Si's Cabin with Mt. Si in background1908Uncle Si's Cabin with Mt. Si in backgroundSnoquaimie Falls, 268 Ft. near No. Bend, Wash1908Snoquaimie Falls, 268 Ft. near No. Bend, WashNorth Bend, Wash1909North Bend, WashMt. Si - North Bend, Wash1909Mt. Si - North Bend, WashMt. Si - North Bend, Wash1909Mt. Si - North Bend, WashNorth Bend, Wash. before the fire1909North Bend, Wash. before the fireSnoquaimie Falls in winter near North Bend, Wash1909Snoquaimie Falls in winter near North Bend, Wash
1910s–1990snothing yet
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.
Add from your album
On the National Register

4 historic places in North Bend

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
4
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
12
each building in a district counts
first listed
1991
North Bend Ranger Station
North Bend Ranger Station, built 1936Norman BridgeMcGrath Cafe and Hotel-The McGrathSi View Park
BuildingsDistrictsStructures

Architectural styles listings

Rustic architecture of the USDA Forest Service in the Pacific Northwest Region1
Spanish Colonial Revival1
North Bend Ranger StationRustic architecture of the USDA Forest Service in the Pacific Northwest Region · Built 1936
Norman BridgeStructure
McGrath Cafe and Hotel-The McGrathSpanish Colonial Revival
All 4 listings
Si View ParkBuilding · listed 2015

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

The story

How North Bend came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of North Bend.

Read it all →

The Snoqualmie Indian Tribe has resided in the Snoqualmie Prairie, including the area now known as North Bend, for thousands of years. This prairie southeast of Snoqualmie Falls was the ancestral home, hunting and forage grounds for the Snoqualmie people and was located in the upper Snoqualmie Valley near the Snoqualmie River fork confluence, Mount Si, and the western foothills of the Cascade Range.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

North Bend, 1889 to 1992

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1889
    FoundingNorth Bend is established
  3. 1890Post officeThe Mountain View post office opens
  4. 1890Post officeThe Mountain View post office closes
  5. 20th century
  6. 1907In the archiveBig fir
  7. 1907Post officeThe Tanner post office opens
  8. 1912Post officeThe Tanner post office closes
  9. 1925Post officeThe North Bend post office opens
  10. 1936BuiltNorth Bend Ranger Station is built
  11. 1953On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  12. 1990Born hereNikki Stanton is born here
  13. 1992Born hereAladdin Schirmer is born here
On the map

North Bend on the map, 1953 to 1993

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of North Bend. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

North Bend on the 1953 USGS mapNorth Bend on the 1968 USGS mapNorth Bend on the 1993 USGS map1953North Bend 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 North Bend.

Every building

North Bend, building by building, 1911

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 sheet.

North Bend fire insurance map, 1911, sheet 11911Sheet 1 of 2
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Big fir
Retake this viewBig fir, 1907

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on North Bend’s page.

Retake this view · +15
People over time

North Bend, census by census

02,0004,0006,0008,0001920194019601980200020207,461

Grew from 299 people in 1910 to 7,461 in 2020, more than tenfold.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on North Bend’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

2 famous people were born in North Bend

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Nikki StantonAmerican soccer player · b. 1990
A
Aladdin SchirmerAmerican rugby union player · b. 1992
Help out

Finish North Bend’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewBig fir: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Snoqualmie6 historic placesB−RiverpointIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about North Bend’s history

What year was North Bend founded?

In 1889, according to Wikidata. North Bend’s post office opened in 1890, and the census of 1910 counted 299 people here.

How does North Bend rank for history?

North Bend is more historic than 49% of U.S. towns, #64 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 North Bend?

4 listings: 2 buildings, 1 historic district, the North Bend Ranger Station, with 9 contributing buildings, and 1 structure. 12 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in North Bend?

4% of North Bend’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.1 points), against a typical 4.3% for a Washington town; the median home was built in 1993.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

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 the Library of Congress (12), the National Register of Historic Places (4), 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.