4 places in town are on the National Register, among them three historic districts with 14 buildings between them. Below: maps from 1887 on and the census since 1910.
The Ely post office opened in 1871, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1872. Two smaller post offices, Hoosier Grove (1849) and Banner Valley (1856), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
First census: 161 in 19102020 census: 2,328155 years
How historic is Ely?
B
More historic than 64% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Ely post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1872.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Ely’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Ely is more historic than 64% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Ely’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 Ely’s 68.6 sits above most of its state (78% of Iowa towns have fewer) while its 15 historic buildings outnumber those of 78% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±6.3 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1872 falls in the same era, so the grade doesn’t depend on which one is used.
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 Ely’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Ely was platted in June 1872 by T.M. Johnson. The town is named after John F. Ely, who was one of the pioneers of Linn county, a prominent railroad builder in the early days and one of the officers and stockholders of the Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Northern Railway.
After the railroad was established in town more buildings were erected including a warehouse by Andrew Fuhrmeister, a store building by Jerry Smith, a bar, and a drug and hardware store were also built as more and more people began moving into town.
The Ely post office opened in 1871, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1872.
How does Ely rank for history?
Ely is more historic than 64% 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.
What is on the National Register in Ely?
4 listings: 1 building and 3 historic districts, the Jan F. and Antonie Janko Farmstead District, the Josias L. and Elizabeth A. Minor Farmstead District and the Podhajsky-Jansa Farmstead District, with 14 contributing buildings. 15 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Ely?
15% of Ely’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.3 points), against a typical 22% for an Iowa town; the median home was built in 2000.
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 (6), the National Register of Historic Places (4), 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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