Peaked at 1,332 in 1900; 579 people lived here in 2020.
18 censuses, 1850–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Farmington’s Wikipedia page.
Every building
Farmington, building by building, 1893–1913
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
Farmington was founded in 1839. It was named after Farmington, Connecticut. The town was incorporated on January 11, 1841.
Farmington has suffered from several major floods of the Des Moines River, most notably in 1993, when a "500-year-flood" caused major damage to the buildings near the river, including a one-block area bordered by Walnut, Second, and Third Streets. The houses in this block were subsequently razed, and the property was purchased by the City of Farmington to create "Wild Rose City Park."
Passages that mention Farmington, cut from the printed page as they were published.
The history of Van Buren County, Iowa, containing a history of the county, its cities, towns, &c, a biographical directory of citizens, war record of its volunteers in the late rebellion, general and local statistics ... history of the Northwest, history1878 · page 483Read the page →
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Section 1. Be it enacted by the Council and House of Representatives of the Territory of Iowa'' That there shall be established in the town of Farmington, in Van Buren County, an institution of learning to be known and designated as the " Farmington Academy and High School," and by that name may sue and be sued, contract and be contracted with, use a common seal, purchase, receive by gift or devise, hold, control, enjoy, sell and convey, any property, real, personal or mixed, for the use and benefit of said institution.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The history of Van Buren County, Iowa, containing a history of the county, its cities, towns, &c, a biographical directory of citizens, war record of its volunteers in the late rebellion, general and local statistics ... history of the Northwest, history1878 · page 357Read the page →
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The first settlements for purposes of actual improvement were made near the site of Farmington. The first man, it is claimed, to locate in the county, however, was Abel Galland, who made a claim near the site of Farmington, some time in 1833 ; but the date is not definitely given.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Timeline
Farmington, 1837 to 1968
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
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). How TownRatings grades history →
From Wikimedia Commons (3), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
2024
2021
2004
