On its age, its old homes and the National Register, North Puyallup is more historic than 49% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of North Puyallup’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 North Puyallup’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 (±22.7 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 North Puyallup’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 North Puyallup yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
North Puyallup is a census-designated place located in Pierce County, Washington. It sits on the north bank of the Puyallup River. As of the 2020 census, North Puyallup had a population of 1,837.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 1,743 to 1,837 (+5%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
From the old history books
What they wrote about North Puyallup in 1927
Passages that mention North Puyallup, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Pierce County Washington1927 · page 109Read the page →
Read the text
Alaska, where he remained until early in 1904, when he came back to Tacoma, where he remained a year. Going once more to Alaska, he remained this time until the fall of 1906, when he returned to Tacoma. Soon afterwards he bought several lots in North Puyallup, on which he built the first store in that place, in 1907. It was a two-story concrete building, and here he put in a stock of goods and ran the store for thirteen years. He then sold the stock, leased the building, and bought ten acres of unimproved land near the town. He cleared the tract and now has it all planted to berries and fruit, besides which he made many improvements; which have
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Pierce County Washington1927 · page 219Read the page →
Read the text
California, where he was employed as a farm hand for six years, at the end of which time, in 1898, he joined the gold rush to Alaska. He engaged in gold mining there three and a half years, and on his return to Washington, in 1901, he bought twenty acres of land at North Puyallup. He cleared this tract and has since devoted himself to its improvement and cultivation, having met with splendid success in the enterprise. In 1902 he built a good, modern house, in 1915 constructed a fine hop drier and has erected other buildings which have added to the value and efficiency of the ranch. He has ten acres planted to hops and also has a good berry patch and a fine orchard,
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
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.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of North Puyallup. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1941Tacoma South 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 North Puyallup.
Famous people
Famous people close to North Puyallup
Nobody well known was born in North Puyallup itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
North Puyallup is more historic than 49% of U.S. towns. 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 North Puyallup?
22% of North Puyallup’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±22.7 points), against a typical 4.3% for a Washington town; the median home was built in 1970.
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, the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
