Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
More historic than 45% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Below: old-book passages.
The Hartley post office opened in 1879, the earliest record of the town by name.
More historic than 45% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Hartley is more historic than 45% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
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 Hartley’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.
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 →
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Hartley’s history is told.
From Wikipedia’s history of Hartley.
Hartley got its start around 1880, following construction of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway through that territory. Hartley was named for a railroad official John Hartley.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention Hartley, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Hartley is situated on the northeast quarter of section 32, in Hartley township, and was named after one of the railroad surveyors. It came into existence by reason of the Chicago, Milwaukee and St.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of o'brien county, iowa. 389 The town officers of Hartley from the incorporation to the present, are as follows: 1888.
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.
The Hartley post office opened in 1879, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
Hartley is more historic than 45% 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.
28% of Hartley’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.6 points), against a typical 22% for an Iowa town; the median home was built in 1961.
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System 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.
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