More historic than 4% of U.S. towns · #165 of 187 in Alabama. What drives it
Most of Lake View was built recently: 2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2001. Below: maps from 1932 on and the census since 2000.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Lake View is more historic than 4% of U.S. towns, #165 of 187 in Alabama. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
D−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Lake View’s overall grade.
Alabama towns list about as much on the Register as the country (a typical Alabama town has 2.7 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Lake View’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (26% of Alabama towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikipedia alone; no second source gives 1998.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D− to D. The pre-1940 share (±2.4 points) is firm at this size.
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 Lake View’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Lake View yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Lake View is a city in Alabama, United States, with the majority of the city located within Tuscaloosa County and with a small portion of the city located in Jefferson County. At the 2020 census the population was 3,560, up from 1,943 in 2010. It is part of the Tuscaloosa Metropolitan Statistical Area (the Tuscaloosa County portion) and the Birmingham metropolitan area (the Jefferson County portion). It is located approximately halfway between Tuscaloosa and Birmingham via Interstates 20 and 59.
Lake View was established in 1998. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 1,943 to 3,560 (+83%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
By decade
No old photos in the archives yet
Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
In 1998, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. the census of 2000 counted 1,357 people here.
How does Lake View rank for history?
Lake View is more historic than 4% of U.S. towns, #165 of 187 in Alabama. 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 Lake View?
2% of Lake View’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.4 points), against a typical 3.2% for an Alabama town; the median home was built in 2001.
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 U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) 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.
