Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
More historic than 48% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Below: maps from 1893 on and the census since 1880.
Forreston dates its founding to 1854 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history agree). The census first counted it in 1880.
More historic than 48% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Forreston is more historic than 48% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull 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 Forreston’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (28% of Illinois towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
Founding year: Wikidata (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 Forreston’s history is told.
From Wikipedia’s history of Forreston.
Forreston was platted in 1854, and named for the forests near the original town site.
Brought on by the town's predominant population of German-ancestry, the annual "Sauerkraut Days" was a popular free-food festival held in the city limits of Forreston.
Sauerkraut Days has recently been started up again, taking place in August with food and a car show.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention Forreston, cut from the printed page as they were published.
December 15, 1868. — A special meeting was called " for the purpose of getting a special charter for the town of Forreston. Mr. Funk was appointed to see J. M. Bailey, and have a form of charter drawn." February 17, 1868.—" The form of charter sent from Springfield " was adopted. May 11, 1868, the new charter was accepted by the people by vote of 67 to 55.
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 hereMary Frances Winston Newson is born here
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological SurveyThe U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Forreston.
1942Forreston sheet · 1:62,500U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Forreston.
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.
1893Sheet 1 of 2Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Between 870 and 1,469 people in every census since 1880.
15 censuses, 1880–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Forreston’s Wikipedia page.
Forreston’s post office has been open since 1878. Another post office, Foreston, opened and closed inside today’s town.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
In 1854, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Forreston’s post office opened in 1855, and the census of 1880 counted 1,108 people here.
Forreston is more historic than 48% 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.
28% of Forreston’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.8 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), 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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