University Place dates to 1888, and 1 of its places is on the National Register
More historic than 31% of U.S. towns · #126 of 285 in Washington. What drives it
Most of University Place was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1981. Its Register listing is the Charles and Mary Louise Curran House. Below: maps from 1948 on and the census since 1970.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1874.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives University Place’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, University Place is more historic than 31% of U.S. towns, #126 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 University Place’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 University Place’s 0.3 sits near the middle of its state (56% of Washington towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1888.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to C+. The pre-1940 share (±1.2 points) is firm at this size.
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 University Place’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
University Place received its name in the 1800s when the University of Puget Sound, a private liberal-arts college in North Tacoma, purchased land along the primary north–south route of Grandview Drive. The school sought to build a new campus there, but ended up selling the land back to the city for about $11,000. University Place remained an unincorporated part of Pierce County until the City of University Place was formed on August 31, 1995.
Today, University Place is largely suburban in character and functions as a mixed business and residential area with waterfront on the Puget Sound. The town is home to Curtis Senior High School and Charles Wright Academy.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of University Place. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1948Steilacoom 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 University Place.
On the National Register
1 historic place in University Place
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
In 1888, according to Wikidata. University Place’s post office opened in 1874, and the census of 1970 counted 13,230 people here.
How does University Place rank for history?
University Place is more historic than 31% of U.S. towns, #126 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 University Place?
One place: the Charles and Mary Louise Curran House (listed 2012).
How old are the homes in University Place?
3% of University Place’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.2 points), against a typical 4.3% for a Washington town; the median home was built in 1981.
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 (1), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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) 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.
2025
