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D−History
History · Royal City

Royal City dates to 1956

Among the newest of U.S. towns. What drives it

Most of Royal City was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1987. Below: maps from 1911 on and the census since 1970.

1956founded
0on the National Register
0.0%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Southeast Region-Department of Natural Resources · Public domain
Quick answers

How Royal City began

When was Royal City founded?

1956

Royal City dates its founding to 1956 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1970.

First census: 477 in 19702020 census: 1,77670 years

How historic is Royal City?

D−

Among the newest of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1907.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Royal City’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Royal City is among the newest of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.

D−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Royal City’s overall grade.
Founding era1956, from Wikipedia: founded 1945 or later, an older era than 2% of U.S. townsD−Homes built before 19400.0% of homes (±2.6) · typical WA town 4.3% · U.S. 8.4%D−National RegisterNo listings counted · typical WA town 0.1 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Among the newest
NewerOlder

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 Royal City’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 any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would still be D−. The pre-1940 share (±2.6 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1956.

Founding year: Wikipedia (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 Royal City’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 Royal City are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19114 editions of the USGS map, 1911 to 1986. Watch Royal City change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Royal City’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Royal City’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
On the map

Royal City on the map, 1911 to 1986

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

Royal City on the 1911 USGS mapRoyal City on the 1950 USGS mapRoyal City on the 1965 USGS mapRoyal City on the 1986 USGS map1911Red Rock 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 Royal City.

The story

How Royal City came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Royal City.

Read it all →

Royal City was founded in 1956 and officially incorporated on February 14, 1962. The townsite was previously named Royal Flats, and the entire area Royal Slope, thus the name Royal City. During the 1960s, there was a Titan I ICBM silo located near the town. The Royal Slope was named Washington state's 15th designated wine growing region (AVA - American Viticultural Area) on September 2, 2020.

Today, this small farming community is most known for producing a wide variety of crops, thanks to a long growing season. Apples, cherries, peaches, timothy and alfalfa hay, melons, potatoes, onions, wine grapes, pears, mint and corn are grown in this area. The Royal Slope area is a popular place for birders, hunters, and golfers as well.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Royal City, 1907 to 1964

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

  1. 20th century
  2. 1907Post officeThe Redrock post office opens
  3. 1911Post officeThe Redrock post office closes
  4. 1911On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  5. 1956
    FoundingRoyal City is established
  6. 1964Post officeThe Royal City post office opens
By decade

Royal City, decade by decade

Today2 recent
Royal City, Washington, United States 2019 06 06-11.07.45.028-CDT2019Royal City, Washington, United States 2019 06 06-11.0…WAMap-doton-Royal City2004WAMap-doton-Royal City
People over time

Royal City, census by census

05001,0001,5002,000198020002020Peak: 2,140

Between 477 and 2,140 people in every census since 1970.

6 censuses, 1970–2020.

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Royal City

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

See all →
Clarence GilyardAmerican actor · b. 1955
Pierson FodéAmerican actor and model · b. 1991
ValkyraeAmerican video game streamer · b. 1992
Davey RichardsAmerican professional wrestler · b. 1983
Joseph J. TysonAmerican Catholic prelate · b. 1957
Matt CedeñoAmerican actor and model · b. 1973
Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Royal City’s post office has been open since 1964. Another post office, Redrock, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Redrock
1907–1911
Royal City
1964–today
19001960today

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

Questions about Royal City’s history

What year was Royal City founded?

In 1956, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Royal City’s post office opened in 1907, and the census of 1970 counted 477 people here.

How does Royal City rank for history?

Royal City is among the newest 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 Royal City?

0.0% of Royal City’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.6 points), against a typical 4.3% for a Washington town; the median home was built in 1987.

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), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), 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.