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History · Readlyn

Readlyn’s post office opened in 1904, and 39% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1971 on and the census since 1910.

1904first post office
0on the National Register
39%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Orange Suede Sofa · CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answers

How Readlyn began

When was Readlyn founded?

1904

The Readlyn post office opened in 1904, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 227 in 19102020 census: 845122 years
Founding year: the first Readlyn post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Readlyn’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Readlyn are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Readlyn’s homes were built before 1952.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Readlyn’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Readlyn’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story so far

Readlyn, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Readlyn yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Readlyn is a city in Bremer County, Iowa, United States. The population was 845 at the time of the 2020 census. It is part of the Waterloo–Cedar Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city is known for its culture surrounding the "Grump", a title of honor and area folklore character inspired by a real resident of Readlyn in the early 20th century. A post office opened in Readlyn in 1904.

Its first post office opened in 1904. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 808 to 845 (+5%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

By decade

Readlyn, decade by decade

Today3 recent
Untitled photo2021Untitled photoReadlyn IA, June 20152015Readlyn IA, June 2015IAMap-doton-Readlyn2004IAMap-doton-Readlyn
On the map

Readlyn on the map, 1971 to 1984

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Readlyn. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Readlyn on the 1971 USGS mapReadlyn on the 1984 USGS map1971Readlyn sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Readlyn.

People over time

Readlyn, census by census

0200400600800192019401960198020002020Peak: 858

Between 227 and 858 people in every census since 1910.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Readlyn’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

Famous people close to Readlyn

Nobody well known was born in Readlyn itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Lou Henry HooverFirst Lady of the United States from 1929 to 19… · b. 1874
M
Michele BachmannAmerican politician · b. 1956
Julie AdamsAmerican actress · b. 1926
Chuck GrassleyUnited States Senator from Iowa since 1981 · b. 1933
Marc AndreessenAmerican entrepreneur, investor, and software e… · b. 1971
Adam DeVineAmerican actor, comedian and writer · b. 1983

Questions about Readlyn’s history

What year was Readlyn founded?

The Readlyn post office opened in 1904, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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Sources

Where this page comes from

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), 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.