Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
More historic than 11% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Most of Hillcrest was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1981. Below: maps from 1952 on and the census since 1960.
Hillcrest first appears in the census in 1960.
More historic than 11% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Hillcrest is more historic than 11% 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 Hillcrest’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: the first census (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 Hillcrest’s history is told.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Hillcrest yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Hillcrest is a village located in Ogle County, Illinois, United States. The 2020 census lists its population at 1,224, down from 1,236 in 2010.
Its first post office opened in 1960. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 1,326 to 1,224 (-8%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Hillcrest. 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 Hillcrest.
Between 224 and 1,326 people in every census since 1960.
7 censuses, 1960–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Hillcrest’s Wikipedia page.
Nobody well known was born in Hillcrest itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
The Hillcrest post office opened in 1960, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
Hillcrest is more historic than 11% 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% of Hillcrest’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.4 points), against a typical 11% for an Illinois town; the median home was built in 1981.
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 (4), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
2013
2013
2007
2007
