Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
More historic than 80% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Its Register listings are the Atlanta Public Library, the Hawes, J. H., Elevator and the Downey Building. Its Register listings are the Atlanta Public Library, the Hawes, J. H., Elevator and the Downey Building. Below: old-book passages.
The Atlanta post office opened in 1853, the earliest record of the town by name.
More historic than 80% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Atlanta is more historic than 80% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
Few Illinois towns list much on the Register (a typical Illinois town has 0.5 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Atlanta’s 19.0 sits above most of its state (86% of Illinois towns have fewer) while its 3 listings outnumber those of 65% 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 Atlanta’s history is told.
From Wikipedia’s history of Atlanta.
In December 1836, surveyors platted the community of New Castle, located on the site of present-day Atlanta. The New Castle post office opened on November 26, 1847.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention Atlanta, cut from the printed page as they were published.
The town of Atlanta was laid out in 1853 and by 1855 had become a sprightly town. The inhabitants of New Castle moved to Atlanta, abandoning the old settlement and the New Castle Baptist society thereupon disposed of the old meeting house at New Castle and in 1855, erected a new church edifice in Atlanta, changing the name of the society to the Atlanta Baptist church. The new building was 48 by 60 feet in dimensions, with a gallery opposite the pulpit. The trustees of the church at this time were Elias Harness, Samuel Bevan, Jerome B. Ten-
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The town of Atlanta was surveyed and platted, May 22, 1853. The town was not platted, however, as Atlanta, but as Xenia. The proprietors were Richard T. Gill, Morgan Williams and Calvin Riley, but Richard T. Gill was the real promoter. Mr. Gill had come to Illinois in 1840 and had located in Pekin, Tazewell County. He was sheriff of Tazewell County from 1846 to 1850. He came to Logan County in 1852 and early in 1853, having ascertained that the Alton & Sangamon (now the Chicago & Alton) railroad was to be extended from Springfield
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
the Paris & Decatur Eailroad Company, incorporated by charter approved February 18, 1861; the Paris & Terre Haute Railroad Company incorporated under provision of law of March 1, 1872, and the Peoria, Atlanta & Decatur Railroad Company, incorporated by charter approved March 1, 1869. The road built by the last named is the one crossing a portion of this county, and heuce entitled to mention in this chapter.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
the Paris & Decatur Railroad Company, incorporated by charter approved February 18, 1861; the Paris & Terre Haute Railroad Company incorporated under provision of law of March 1, 1872, and the Peoria, Atlanta & Decatur Railroad Company, incorpo¬ rated by charter approved March 1, 1869. The road built by the last named is the one crossing a portion of this county, and hence entitled to mention in this chapter.
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.
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.
Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.
The Atlanta post office opened in 1853, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
Atlanta is more historic than 80% 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.
Three places: the Atlanta Public Library (listed 1979), the Hawes, J. H., Elevator (1991) and the Downey Building (2004).
37% of Atlanta’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±13.9 points), against a typical 11% for an Illinois town; the median home was built in 1959.
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 (6), the National Register of Historic Places (3), 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.
2008
2008
2008
2007
2007
2007