The Sumas post office opened in 1897, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Sumas City (1890), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
First census: 319 in 19002020 census: 1,583129 years
How historic is Sumas?
C
More historic than 35% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Sumas post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Sumas’ History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Sumas is more historic than 35% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Sumas’ 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 Sumas’ 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 range from C− to C+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±7.1 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (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 Sumas’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The area was home to the Nooksack Indians in the millennia prior to the arrival of the first permanent settler Robert Johnson in 1872.
It was called "Sumas" meaning "land without trees" or "big flat opening." It is derived from a Cowichan tribe who also resided in the region.
Originally called "Sumas City," the town was officially incorporated on June 18, 1891. A post office with that name has been in operation since 1897.
The town was a railroad hub and briefly supported the Mount Baker Gold Rush, with some gold mining operations still ongoing in the area such as at Lone Jack mine. It was also known for a large rodeo in the early 20th Century, the "Sumas Roundup."
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.
Sumas’s post office has been open since 1897. Another post office, Sumas City, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Sumas City
1890–1897
Sumas
1897–today
18901960today
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Sumas’ history
What year was Sumas founded?
The Sumas post office opened in 1897, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Sumas rank for history?
Sumas is more historic than 35% 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 Sumas?
15% of Sumas’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.1 points), against a typical 4.3% for a Washington town; the median home was built in 1990.
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 (4), the Library of Congress (1), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.
1909
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2009