Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Below: maps from 1956 on and the census since 1910.
The Longview post office opened in 1889, the earliest record of the town by name.
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 Longview’s history is told.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Longview yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Longview is a village in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The population was 112 at the 2020 census.
Its first post office opened in 1889. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 153 to 112 (-27%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Passages that mention Longview, cut from the printed page as they were published.
farm and came to Longview, where he has since made his home. On his arrival here he accepted a position in the employ of the Indianapolis Grain Company, with which he has been identified to the present time. After having been at Longview several years, Mr. Madigan began to be interested in the insurance business, and subsequently devoted more and more of his attention to this line of work, until he is now one of the well known men in this field in Champaign County. He represents the Aetna, Phoenix and Hartford, all excellent old-line companies, and has built up a large busi-
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
After attending the public schools of Longview, E. Clarence Churchill pursued a three-year course at the Westfield (Illinois) College, and with this preparation accepted a position with the American Radiator Company of St. Louis, Missouri. His connection with this concern extended only over a short period, however, for he was offered and accepted an engagement with the Longview Bank in the fall of 1906, and, as before noted, has advanced steadily with this banking house, of which he is now vice president. In addition, in partnership with his brother, Charles F.
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.
Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Longview. 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 Longview.
Between 112 and 291 people in every census since 1910.
12 censuses, 1910–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Longview’s Wikipedia page.
The Longview post office opened in 1889, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
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). How TownRatings grades history →
From 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 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.
