More historic than 37% of U.S. towns · #492 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Most of Inverness was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1984. Below: maps from 1923 on and the census since 1970.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Inverness is more historic than 37% of U.S. towns, #492 of 768 in Illinois. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Inverness’ overall grade.
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 Inverness’ 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.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1836.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to B−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.2 points).
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 →
What stands out about Inverness’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The Inverness area was settled in 1836 by George Ela and became known as Deer Grove. After surveying the township area, in 1840 the US government offered land in the area for $1.25 per acre. By 1854, rail service was established to Deer Grove, and in 1859 the line was incorporated into the Chicago and North Western Railway system. The Inverness area was then easily accessible to Chicago. The frontier had been opened.
In 1836, according to Wikidata. the census of 1970 counted 1,674 people here.
How does Inverness rank for history?
Inverness is more historic than 37% of U.S. towns, #492 of 768 in Illinois. 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.
How old are the homes in Inverness?
3% of Inverness’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.2 points), against a typical 11% for an Illinois town; the median home was built in 1984.
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, 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.
