There’s an undeniable charm that comes with pre-World War II American architecture, characterized by high ceilings, crown molding, hardwood floors, and ornate details. In fact, 12.8% of all housing units in America were built in 1939 or before, showing the popularity of the preservation of these units. Owning a piece of history can sometimes come with a cost: Many old homes come with asbestos, lead piping, knob-and-tube wiring, and other outdated building styles that can rack up a hefty price tag to modernize. However, with more and more modernized pre-war homes on the market, generally located just outside bustling downtown metros, investing in property that has withstood the test of time is an attractive prospect.
Stacker compiled a list of the counties in Oregon with the oldest homes using data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Counties are ranked by median year the structure was built according to 2020 5-year estimates. Ties broken by the highest percentage of homes built before 1939.
The country’s domestic architecture is perhaps best characterized by a rugged individualism as opposed to the hybridization of disparate architectural elements. As Maya Angelou once perceptively observed, “the ache for home lives in all of us,” a phrase that has meant very different things to different people.
Modest or palatial, there is no shortage of noteworthy homes in the U.S. Log cabins constructed by industrious pioneers have dotted the landscape alongside traditional Native American dwellings ever since immigrant Swedes introduced them to the New World in 1638. The unprecedented personal fortunes amassed by the so-called “Robber Barons” at the close of the 19th century gave way to the construction of a staggering number of Gilded Age estates.
The ravages of time spared neither the sumptuous nor the humble. Stately mansions, often prohibitively costly to maintain in the modern era, were frequently neglected; simple structures were forgotten, discarded by their owners, and damaged by natural elements. However, the tireless efforts of architectural preservationists and local historical societies have saved many of these homes from demolition, leading to their inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places and thereby safeguarding them for future generations.
Keep reading to learn more about which counties in Oregon have the oldest homes.
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Ian Poellet // Wikimedia Commons
#36. Deschutes County
– Median year homes built: 1995
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 3.4% (3,082 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 36.9% (33,478 homes)
– Total homes built: 90,802
Cacophony // Wikimedia Commons
#35. Crook County
– Median year homes built: 1991
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 4.9% (536 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 28.2% (3,110 homes)
– Total homes built: 11,026
M.O. Stevens // Wikimedia Commons
#34. Washington County
– Median year homes built: 1989
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 2.7% (6,360 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 25.2% (58,461 homes)
– Total homes built: 232,032
Finetooth // Wikimedia Commons
#33. Jefferson County
– Median year homes built: 1986
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 2.9% (294 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 21.4% (2,182 homes)
– Total homes built: 10,194
M.O. Stevens // Wikimedia Commons
#32. Yamhill County
– Median year homes built: 1986
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 10.3% (4,075 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 23.3% (9,216 homes)
– Total homes built: 39,504
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Bruce Fingerhood from Springfield, Oregon, US // Wikimedia Commons
#31. Polk County
– Median year homes built: 1984
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 7.2% (2,356 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 26.6% (8,648 homes)
– Total homes built: 32,572
Mrgadget51 // Wikimedia Commons
#30. Clackamas County
– Median year homes built: 1983
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 7.0% (11,777 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 20.5% (34,564 homes)
– Total homes built: 168,828
Little Mountain 5 // Wikicommons
#29. Jackson County
– Median year homes built: 1982
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 7.0% (6,758 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 22.4% (21,579 homes)
– Total homes built: 96,318
Manuela Durson // Shutterstock
#28. Curry County
– Median year homes built: 1981
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 4.5% (587 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 16.8% (2,192 homes)
– Total homes built: 13,011
USFWS Headquarters’ photostream // Wikimedia Commons
#27. Tillamook County
– Median year homes built: 1981
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 12.6% (2,413 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 23.3% (4,455 homes)
– Total homes built: 19,157
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Joseph Novak // Wikicommons
#26. Josephine County
– Median year homes built: 1980
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 6.5% (2,577 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 20.9% (8,217 homes)
– Total homes built: 39,362
EncMstr // Wikimedia Commons
#25. Lincoln County
– Median year homes built: 1979
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 8.0% (2,525 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 17.4% (5,534 homes)
– Total homes built: 31,751
Finetooth // Wikimedia Commons
#24. Morrow County
– Median year homes built: 1979
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 12.9% (606 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 15.8% (742 homes)
– Total homes built: 4,699
Edmund Garman // Flickr
#23. Marion County
– Median year homes built: 1978
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 8.2% (10,519 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 16.9% (21,528 homes)
– Total homes built: 127,505
cpaulfell // Shutterstock
#22. Benton County
– Median year homes built: 1978
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 9.0% (3,472 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 21.2% (8,195 homes)
– Total homes built: 38,713
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Cacophony // Wikimedia Commons
#21. Columbia County
– Median year homes built: 1978
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 17.8% (3,814 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 18.1% (3,871 homes)
– Total homes built: 21,421
Sam Beebe // Wikimedia Commons
#20. Hood River County
– Median year homes built: 1978
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 18.7% (1,876 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 24.0% (2,407 homes)
– Total homes built: 10,034
Tomas Nevesely // Shutterstock
#19. Wheeler County
– Median year homes built: 1978
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 22.2% (220 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 15.4% (153 homes)
– Total homes built: 991
English: Gary Halvorson, Oregon State Archives // Wikimedia Commons
#18. Douglas County
– Median year homes built: 1977
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 7.2% (3,667 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 17.0% (8,590 homes)
– Total homes built: 50,649
Jmabel // Wikimedia Commons
#17. Linn County
– Median year homes built: 1977
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 9.7% (4,955 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 18.9% (9,640 homes)
– Total homes built: 50,936
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Lauram12345 // Wikicommons
#16. Lane County
– Median year homes built: 1976
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 7.0% (11,442 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 16.7% (27,361 homes)
– Total homes built: 163,617
Ken Lund // Wikimedia Commons
#15. Lake County
– Median year homes built: 1976
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 10.0% (454 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 16.8% (762 homes)
– Total homes built: 4,538
Gancayco // Wikimedia Commons
#14. Umatilla County
– Median year homes built: 1976
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 12.7% (3,912 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 17.0% (5,224 homes)
– Total homes built: 30,722
Bobjgalindo // Wikimedia Commons
#13. Klamath County
– Median year homes built: 1976
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 14.1% (4,741 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 15.1% (5,095 homes)
– Total homes built: 33,703
Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA // Wikimedia Commons
#12. Malheur County
– Median year homes built: 1974
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 10.1% (1,210 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 9.4% (1,122 homes)
– Total homes built: 11,936
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English: Gary Halvorson, Oregon State Archives // Wikimedia Commons
#11. Clatsop County
– Median year homes built: 1974
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 23.0% (5,204 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 15.6% (3,523 homes)
– Total homes built: 22,609
Finetooth // Wikimedia Commons
#10. Grant County
– Median year homes built: 1973
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 15.4% (680 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 13.3% (590 homes)
– Total homes built: 4,426
Ken Lund // Wikimedia Commons
#9. Harney County
– Median year homes built: 1973
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 19.1% (746 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 13.5% (527 homes)
– Total homes built: 3,897
Sam Beebe // Wikimedia Commons
#8. Wallowa County
– Median year homes built: 1973
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 20.6% (871 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 17.3% (734 homes)
– Total homes built: 4,234
Williamborg // Wikimedia Commons
#7. Union County
– Median year homes built: 1973
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 25.1% (2,983 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 13.1% (1,554 homes)
– Total homes built: 11,863
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Debbie Tegtmeier // Wikimedia Commons
#6. Coos County
– Median year homes built: 1972
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 13.2% (4,126 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 12.6% (3,945 homes)
– Total homes built: 31,246
Cacophony // Wikimedia Commons
#5. Wasco County
– Median year homes built: 1972
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 17.8% (2,086 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 13.4% (1,569 homes)
– Total homes built: 11,712
Finetooth // Wikimedia Commons
#4. Baker County
– Median year homes built: 1970
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 29.3% (2,653 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 11.8% (1,067 homes)
– Total homes built: 9,062
Stuart Seeger // Wikicommons
#3. Multnomah County
– Median year homes built: 1969
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 24.1% (85,258 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 17.1% (60,618 homes)
– Total homes built: 353,735
Tedder // Wikimedia Commons
#2. Gilliam County
– Median year homes built: 1958
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 26.8% (307 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 12.3% (141 homes)
– Total homes built: 1,145
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Finetooth // Wikimedia Commons
#1. Sherman County
– Median year homes built: 1958
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 37.5% (339 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 6.6% (60 homes)
– Total homes built: 905
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