Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
More historic than 43% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Below: maps from 1893 on and the census since 1880.
The Macon post office opened in 1864, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, South Macon (1857), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
More historic than 43% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Macon is more historic than 43% 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 Macon’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 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 Macon’s history is told.
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 3Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
From Wikipedia’s history of Macon.
The city was named after Nathaniel Macon (1758–1837), American politician.
It was originally plotted in 1856 on land owned by the Illinois Central Railroad. Macon was officially incorporated as a city on April 19, 1869.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention Macon, cut from the printed page as they were published.
The village of Macon was platted in 1856 by the Illinois Central railroad. It was incorporated as a village April 15, 1868, and as a city April 7, 1879. The first building erected was put up by the railroad company. C. H. Rub}% the first resident of the town, lived there from 1854 to 1860. J. S. Ruby was appointed railroad agent in 1857. For a number of years the Illinois Central maintained a land office in Macon for the sale of lands belonging to the road.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Wallace preached the first sermon, that was delivered by any minister in the town of Macon. This was in the freight depot of the Illinois Central Railroad, in the year 1860. It was the custom for the preacher going through on the railroad to stop at Macon, and deliver a sermon in the freight house. This practice was continued uutil the erection of a church. The Methodist being the prevailing creed in this locality, in the early days of Macon city, grew in members and wealth until in 1865, they became able, and built a
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Another railroad stop in South Macon township is Walker, named for John W. Walker, stock and grain dealer, who, in 1880, persuaded the Illinois Central to put in a switch and side track and build a station in Section 8. An elevator was erected there in 1882.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
On the first day of June, 1829, the County Commissioners, “ Ordered that Benjamin R. Austin, County Surveyor, be and he is hereby allowed the sum of twenty-four dollars for laying out the town of Decatur, the County Seat of Macon County. According to the preceding order the “old town” of Decatur, which covered twenty acres, was laid out and platted. The boundaries were: Prairie street on the north, Water street on the east, Wood street on the south, and Church street on the west.
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.
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 Macon. 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 Macon.
Between 683 and 1,300 people in every census since 1880.
15 censuses, 1880–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Macon’s Wikipedia page.
Macon’s post office has been open since 1864. Another post office, South Macon, 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).
The Macon post office opened in 1864, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
Macon is more historic than 43% 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.
23% of Macon’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.3 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 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.
