On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Roland is more historic than 60% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Roland’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 Roland’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 two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±9.8 points).
Founding year: our sources. 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 Roland’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Roland yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Roland is a city in Story County, Iowa, United States. The population was 1,362 at the time of the 2020 census. It is part of the Ames, Iowa Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is a part of the larger Ames-Boone, Iowa Combined Statistical Area.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 1,284 to 1,362 (+6%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
From the old history books
What they wrote about Roland in 1911
Passages that mention Roland, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Country, just how much of it, we are unable to say ; but after looking around quite thoroughly and enough to satisfy them of the soundness of their judgment, they picked out a tract in what is now Howard Township and there founded the village of Roland and to that locality removed their Illinois settlement. Not long after, a similar, but perhaps more individual movement, was made by Norwegians from Illinois and Wisconsin and Nor- Afay into Palestine Township, and from these two settlements have spread the Norwegian colonies in the County. Growth of these colonies has been
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
of this railroad, there had never been a post office in either township; so Zearing and McCallsburg, (the latter of which sought to be called Latrobe) w'ere the beginnings of towns in their part of the county. Howard Township was, of course, much better settled, and Roland was already a recognized inland village; but the development of Howard Township and the number of its peoi)le, were then only a suggestion of what may there be found now, and the same is true, in a much greater degree, of Roland.
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.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Roland. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1975Story City 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 Roland.
Every building
Roland, building by building, 1916
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 1
Sheets
BrickWoodStone
Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
People over time
Roland, census by census
Grew from 557 people in 1900 to 1,362 in 2020.
13 censuses, 1900–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Roland’s Wikipedia page.
Places that used to be
Places now gone
Gone or out of use
Rolandlocale
Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Roland’s history
How does Roland rank for history?
Roland is more historic than 60% 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.
How old are the homes in Roland?
37% of Roland’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±9.8 points), against a typical 22% for an Iowa town; the median home was built in 1957.
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 (1), Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), 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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