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CHistory
History · Redmond

Redmond dates to 1870, and 3 of its places are on the National Register

More historic than 32% of U.S. towns · #123 of 285 in Washington. What drives it

Most of Redmond was built recently: 2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1993. Below: maps from 1908 on and the census since 1900.

1870founded
3on the National Register
2%homes built before 1940
20famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Redmond began

When was Redmond founded?

1870

Redmond dates its founding to 1870 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1900.

First census: 116 in 19002020 census: 73,256156 years

How historic is Redmond?

C

More historic than 32% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1881.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Redmond’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Redmond is more historic than 32% of U.S. towns, #123 of 285 in Washington. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

C
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Redmond’s overall grade.
Founding era1870, from Wikidata: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 19401.6% of homes (±0.8) · typical WA town 4.3% · U.S. 8.4%C−National Register3 listings, 4 historic buildings, 0.5 per 10,000 residents · typical WA town 0.1 · U.S. 2.4B
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 32%
NewerOlder
Washington towns of 2,500+ (285)Ahead of 57%

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 Redmond’s 0.5 sits near the middle of its state (57% of Washington towns have fewer) while its 4 historic buildings outnumber those of 68% 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 (±0.8 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1870.

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 Redmond’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 Redmond are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Lost villages1 post office opened and closed inside today’s Redmond, and 6 old place names are still on the map.Famous sons and daughtersKaran Brar, Blake Lewis and 18 more were born here.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Redmond’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds

Redmond’s post office has been open since 1883. Another post office, Melrose, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Melrose
1881–1883
Redmond
1883–today
18801950today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Avon Villa Mobile Home ParkCamptonEarlmontFriendly Village of Redmond Mobile Home ParkKenilworthWillows
1cemetery inside Redmond
Cedar Lawns Memorial Park

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

Famous people

20 famous people were born in Redmond

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

See all →
Karan BrarAmerican actor · b. 1999
Blake LewisAmerican musician · b. 1981
A
Amy TryonOlympic medalist in equestrian · b. 1970
Patrick DeneenAmerican freestyle skier · b. 1987
Adam ConleyAmerican former professional baseball pitcher · b. 1990
John HekkerPlayer of American football · b. 1990
The story

How Redmond came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Redmond.

Read it all →

Native Americans have lived in the Redmond area for about 10,000 years, based on artifacts discovered at the Redmond Town Center archaeological site and Marymoor Prehistoric Indian Site. The first European settlers arrived in the 1870s. Luke McRedmond, having moved there with his wife and children, filed a Homestead Act claim for land next to the Sammamish Slough on September 9, 1870, and the following year Warren Perrigo took up land adjacent to him. The rivers and streams had so many salmon that the settlement was initially named Salmonberg. More settlers came, and with the establishment of the first post office in 1881, the name of the community was changed to Melrose. The new name was derived from the Perrigos' successful inn, Melrose House, which upset McRedmond. After becoming postmaster, he successfully petitioned to have the name changed to Redmond in 1883.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Redmond, 1870 to 1999

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1870
    FoundingRedmond is established
  3. 1881Post officeThe Melrose post office opens
  4. 1883Post officeThe Melrose post office closes
  5. 1883Post officeThe Redmond post office opens
  6. 20th century
  7. 1913BuiltYellowstone Road, The is built
  8. 1928BuiltRedmond City Park is built
  9. 1950On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  10. 1970Born hereAmy Tryon is born here
  11. 1981Born hereBlake Lewis is born here
  12. 1987Born herePatrick Deneen is born here
  13. 1999Born hereKaran Brar is born here
By decade

Redmond, decade by decade

Today2 recent
Redmond Pioneer Cemetery AKA Redmond Community Cemetery2017Redmond Pioneer Cemetery AKA Redmond Community Cemete…St George Church Erratic Kirkland2015St George Church Erratic Kirkland
On the map

Redmond on the map, 1950 to 1973

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

Redmond on the 1950 USGS mapRedmond on the 1968 USGS mapRedmond on the 1973 USGS map1950Redmond 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 Redmond.

Every building

Redmond, building by building, 1908

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.

Redmond fire insurance map, 1908, sheet 11908Sheet 1 of 1
Sheets
BrickWoodStone

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

On the National Register

3 historic places in Redmond

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

places listed
3
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
4
each building in a district counts
first listed
1973
James W. Clise House
James W. Clise HouseYellowstone Road, The, built 1913Redmond City Park, built 1928
BuildingsDistrictsStructures

Architectural styles listings

Shingle Style1
National Park (Rustic)1
James W. Clise HouseShingle Style
Yellowstone Road, TheBuilt 1913
Redmond City ParkNational Park (Rustic) · Built 1928

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

People over time

Redmond, census by census

020,00040,00060,00080,000190019201940196019802000202073,256

Grew from 116 people in 1900 to 73,256 in 2020, more than tenfold.

13 censuses, 1900–2020.

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

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Union Hill-Novelty Hill1 historic placeCBellevue1 historic placeCKirkland8 historic placesC+Sammamish1 historic placeDCottage LakeIts storyD

Questions about Redmond’s history

What year was Redmond founded?

In 1870, according to Wikidata. Redmond’s post office opened in 1881, and the census of 1900 counted 116 people here.

How does Redmond rank for history?

Redmond is more historic than 32% of U.S. towns, #123 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 Redmond?

Three places: the James W. Clise House (listed 1973), the Yellowstone Road, The (1974) and the Redmond City Park (2009).

How old are the homes in Redmond?

2% of Redmond’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), 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 Wikimedia Commons (2), the National Register of Historic Places (3), 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.