Most of Evansdale was built recently: 2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1959. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1963 on, and the census since 1950.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Evansdale is more historic than 8% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
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HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Evansdale’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 Evansdale’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 two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share (±1.7 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: our sources. 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 Evansdale’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Evansdale began in 1947, when residents of the Home Acres and River Forest Area adjoining Waterloo's east city limits faced a common drainage problem and formed the Home Acres Improvement Association. In August of that year, the Association petitioned for incorporation as a town and presented its documents to District Judge William T. Evans through Parkersburg attorney Dale Van Eman, hence Evansdale. The poll resulted in a 205-106 vote for incorporation. The area's growth can be traced back to the turn of the century. Situated in East Waterloo Township, Evansdale evolved from several developed sections. Around the turn of the century, William T. Evans owned a farm just south of Watermelon Avenue in what is approximately the present route of Highway 20. Lafayette Road, an extension of Lafayette Street from Waterloo, cut through the Evans' farm. Just east of Evans' farm was a farm owned …
Evansdale is more historic than 8% 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.
How old are the homes in Evansdale?
2% of Evansdale’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.7 points), against a typical 22% for an Iowa town; the median home was built in 1959.
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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