Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Photo: Billwhittaker · CC BY-SA 3.0More historic than 89% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Its Register listings are the Peterson Manufacturing Building, the John and Lavina Bangs House and the McClellan's General Store. Below: maps from 1916 on and the census since 1880.
The New London post office opened in 1838, the earliest record of the town by name.
More historic than 89% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, New London is more historic than 89% of U.S. towns. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its share of homes from before 1940 ranks highest and its National Register listings lowest.
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 New London’s 12.8 sits near the middle of its state (64% of Iowa towns have fewer) while its 3 listings outnumber those of 65% 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 New London’s history is told.
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Born hereWilliam Hale is born here
Born hereSilas Reynolds Barton is born here
BuiltPeterson Manufacturing Building is built
Born hereIvan Bonar is born here
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological SurveyWikipedia doesn’t have a history of New London yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
New London is a city in Henry County, Iowa, United States. The population was 1,910 at the time of the 2020 census.
Its first post office opened in 1838. Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 1,897 in 2010, 1,910 in 2020.
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Passages that mention New London, cut from the printed page as they were published.
The place was incorporated in 1861, at which time there was a population of 300 people. The first records contain the following : "A number of the citizens of New London, having petitioned the County Judge, praying that said town might be incorporated as per plat and survey annexed, according to the statute of the State in such cases made and provided, on the hearing of said petition, after the requisite preliminaries had been done and performed, the Court granted their prayer and the said town of New London was declared incorporated. Whereupon, the citizens of the said cor-
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The former enters it from the west, near the northwest corner of Salem Township, and, after a winding course of a few miles, turns due north and empties into Skunk River just below Rome. Big Creek rises in the eastern part of New London Township, and runs northwesterly through New London and Marion Townships, and then turns south, and finally southeast, emptying into Skunk River about two and a half miles above Lowell.
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 U.S. Geological Survey’s map of New London.
1981New London sheet · 1:24,000U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of New London.
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 sheet.
1916Sheet 1 of 1Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Between 580 and 2,043 people in every census since 1880.
15 censuses, 1880–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on New London’s Wikipedia page.
Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.
The New London post office opened in 1838, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
New London is more historic than 89% 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.
Three places: the Peterson Manufacturing Building (listed 1997), the John and Lavina Bangs House (2003) and the McClellan's General Store (2003).
33% of New London’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±8.2 points), against a typical 22% for an Iowa town; the median home was built in 1959.
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 (5), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (3), 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.
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