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History · Outlook

Outlook’s post office opened in 1897

Most of Outlook was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1989. Below: maps from 1910 on.

1897first post office
0on the National Register
0.0%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Outlook began

When was Outlook founded?

1897

The Outlook post office opened in 1897, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 317129 years
Founding year: the first Outlook post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Outlook’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Outlook are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19103 editions of the USGS map, 1910 to 1979. Watch Outlook change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Outlook’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Outlook’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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On the map

Outlook on the map, 1910 to 1979

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

Outlook on the 1910 USGS mapOutlook on the 1965 USGS mapOutlook on the 1979 USGS map1910Zillah sheet · 1:125,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Outlook.

The story so far

Outlook, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Outlook yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Outlook is a census-designated place and unincorporated community in Yakima County, Washington, United States. As of the 2020 census, Outlook had a population of 317. Outlook is located along Interstate 82 and U.S. Route 12 4 miles (6.4 km) west of Sunnyside. Outlook has a post office with ZIP code 98938.

Its first post office opened in 1897. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 292 to 317 (+9%).

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.

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Famous people

Famous people close to Outlook

Nobody well known was born in Outlook itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Kyle MacLachlanAmerican actor · b. 1959
Robert LucasAmerican economist · b. 1937
Bonnie J. DunbarAmerican engineer and astronaut · b. 1949
Jim RohnAmerican motivational speaker, businessman and … · b. 1930
Sam KinisonAmerican comedian · b. 1953
Barbara La MarrAmerican actress and screenwriter · b. 1896

Questions about Outlook’s history

What year was Outlook founded?

The Outlook post office opened in 1897, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

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

Town Square →
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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). How TownRatings grades history →

From U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) 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.