Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
More historic than 70% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Below: old-book passages.
The Springville post office opened in 1843, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1855.
More historic than 70% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Springville is more historic than 70% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 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 Springville’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.
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 Springville’s history is told.
From Wikipedia’s history of Springville.
Springville was laid out on March 22, 1856 by surveyor Samuel W. Durham, under the direction of original settlers Hosea White, Moses P. Wynans, J. P. Hoffman, and Joseph S. Butler.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention Springville, cut from the printed page as they were published.
unhitched his horses, and the driver of the leadhorses on the other stage bad also unhitched his, .Mr. Reiner's team was put on as the leadhorses. and he was told to get on the stage. While coming on into this city the proprietor informed him that he was to run the new stage from this city to Springville. at that time the end of the Dubuque and Southwestern railroad. As the railroad was pushed nearer and uearer Marion, the stage route became shorter and shorter, until it was finally between Cedar Rapids and the county
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.
Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Springville’s post office has been open since 1843.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
The Springville post office opened in 1843, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1855.
Springville is more historic than 70% 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.
35% of Springville’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±13.5 points), against a typical 22% for an Iowa town; the median home was built in 1965.
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 Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System 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.