More historic than 9% of U.S. towns · #138 of 140 in Iowa. What drives it
Most of Hiawatha was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1992. Below: maps from 1888 on and the census since 1960.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1955.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Hiawatha’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Hiawatha is more historic than 9% of U.S. towns, #138 of 140 in Iowa. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Hiawatha’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 Hiawatha’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 (±3.7 points). Two sources give 1950.
Founding year: Wikidata (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 Hiawatha’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
In 1946, Fay Clark, an entrepreneur of several ventures located in Linn County north of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, had a vision of houses and a highway running through a new city. In 1950 Clark and another 45 residents signed a petition seeking to become the 17th incorporated town in Linn County. The town was named after Clark's trailer company. That same year he and Henry Katz of Marion established the Linn County Fire Association to help provide fire protection to rural communities. Clark served as mayor of Hiawatha from 1950 to 1958, and again from 1961 to 1963. Clark died in 1991 at the age of 84.
Hiawatha residents celebrated the dedication of their new City Hall on May 17, 2008.
In 1950, according to Wikidata. Hiawatha’s post office opened in 1955, and the census of 1960 counted 1,336 people here.
How does Hiawatha rank for history?
Hiawatha is more historic than 9% of U.S. towns, #138 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 Hiawatha?
6% of Hiawatha’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.7 points), against a typical 22% for an Iowa town; the median home was built in 1992.
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 (12), 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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