Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
More historic than 83% of U.S. towns. What drives it
6 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 34 buildings. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1885 on, and the census since 1870.
The West Union post office opened in 1850, the earliest record of the town by name.
More historic than 83% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, West Union is more historic than 83% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls 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 West Union’s 153 sits above most of its state (89% of Iowa towns have fewer) while its 38 historic buildings outnumber those of 83% 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 West Union’s history is told.
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.
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 year, then a sheet.
1885Sheet 1 of 1Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
From Wikipedia’s history of West Union.
Originally called Knob Prairie, the community was founded by William Wells, naming it for his hometown, also called West Union, in Ohio. The vacuum cleaner was invented here in 1860 by Daniel Hess.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention West Union, cut from the printed page as they were published.
The town of West Union was laid out in the Fall of 1849, and re-surveyed in 1850 (see general history). The site of the town was known as " Knob Prairie," and was named " West Union," by William Wells, at the pioneer 4th of July celebration, 1849. The first survey was done by Brastus A. Light, assisted by Thomas E. Talbot.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Rogers, also from Monroe, Wis., visited this locality, made arrangements with Mr. Wells, with whom they were acquainted, for the purchase of a two-thirds' interest in sixty acres, on which the new town of West Union was to be located, and for founding the town". After perfecting the preliminary arrangements, LyBrand and Rogers went back to Wisconsin, but returned to West Union on September 7th, following, with a stock of goods, which were put into Wells' cabin, and the first store in the county was opened.
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.
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Born hereA. G. Daniells is born here
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
Born herePaul Peek is born here
In the archiveWest Union, IA
Born hereAnnie Bersagel is born hereOne decade in the archive so far: the 1900s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of West Union. 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 West Union.
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 West Union’s page.
Retake this view · +15Between 1,489 and 2,783 people in every census since 1870.
16 censuses, 1870–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on West Union’s Wikipedia page.
Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.
West Union’s post office has been open since 1850.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
The West Union post office opened in 1850, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
West Union is more historic than 83% 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.
6 listings: 4 buildings, among them the Fayette County Courthouse (listed 1981, the first), 1 historic district, the West Union Commercial Historic District, with 34 contributing buildings, and 1 structure. 38 historic buildings in all.
35% of West Union’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.9 points), against a typical 22% for an Iowa town; the median home was built in 1958.
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), the Library of Congress (1), the National Register of Historic Places (6), 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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