More historic than 20% of U.S. towns · #127 of 140 in Iowa. What drives it
Most of Clive was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1995. Below: maps from 1905 on and the census since 1960.
The Clive post office opened in 1882, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Campbell (1882), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
First census: 752 in 19602020 census: 18,601144 years
How historic is Clive?
C−
More historic than 20% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Clive post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Clive’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Clive is more historic than 20% of U.S. towns, #127 of 140 in Iowa. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Clive’s overall grade.
Iowa towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Iowa town has 9.1 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Clive’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (17% of Iowa 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 D to C−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.0 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 Clive’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Clive was platted in 1882 but did not incorporate as a city until August 18, 1956. While the exact origin of the city's name is unknown, it is believed to have been named after Robert Clive.
In its early days, Clive was a coal mining town and a railroad shipping point along the St. Louis – Des Moines Northern Railway. The railroad depot, which dates back from 1882, has been restored while the neighboring Swanson House, dating back from 1911, serves as the headquarters for the Clive Historical Society.
The Clive post office opened in 1882, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Clive rank for history?
Clive is more historic than 20% of U.S. towns, #127 of 140 in Iowa. 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 Clive?
5% of Clive’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.0 points), against a typical 22% for an Iowa town; the median home was built in 1995.
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 (3), 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.
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