Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
More historic than 61% of U.S. towns · #86 of 140 in Iowa. What drives it
Its Register listing is the Cottage at Rock and Dubuque Streets. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1891 on, and the census since 1880.
Solon dates its founding to 1840 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1880.
More historic than 61% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Solon is more historic than 61% of U.S. towns, #86 of 140 in Iowa. Its age 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 Solon’s 3.2 sits near the middle of its state (40% of Iowa towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% of U.S. towns.
Founding year: Wikipedia (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 Solon’s history is told.
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
BuiltCottage at Rock and Dubuque Streets is built
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
Born hereLeo Beranek is born here
Born hereTyler Linderbaum is born here
Born hereCam Miller is born hereFrom Wikipedia’s history of Solon.
Solon was platted in 1840. It is named for the classical Athenian statesman, lawmaker, and lyric poet Solon. Ironically, the local high school's mascot is the Spartans; Sparta was famously an enemy of Athens, Solon's home. The National Register of Historic Places-listed Stone Academy is just north of town.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention Solon, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Solon is especially proud of her graded schools, in the higher department of which Latin is taught, as preparatory for entering the State Universitv. It is reported that the first school house in the town of Solon was built by or known as the C. H. Palmer school house. (No date given.) In 1879 the corporation built a fine two-story frame school house, with a tower — four rooms, and seating capacity for 500 (?); cost :|)3,400.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
and moved to the neighborinor village of Solon, where he spent the remaining six years of his hfe. He died of heart disease on the 9th of June, 1882, after an illness of two weeks, at the ripe age of 77 years.
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 Solon. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Solon.
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.
1913Sheet 1 of 1Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Solon’s page.
Retake this view · +15The 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.
Grew from 383 people in 1880 to 3,018 in 2020, 7 times over.
15 censuses, 1880–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Solon’s Wikipedia page.
Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.
Solon’s post office has been open since 1842.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
In 1840, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Solon’s post office opened in 1842, and the census of 1880 counted 383 people here.
Solon is more historic than 61% of U.S. towns, #86 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.
One place: the Cottage at Rock and Dubuque Streets (listed 1985).
11% of Solon’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.2 points), against a typical 22% for an Iowa town; the median home was built in 1998.
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), the Library of Congress (1), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, 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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