The Montebello Township post office opened in 1830, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1849. Two smaller post offices, Montebello (1830) and Golden's Point (1855), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 694 in 18602020 census: 3,341196 years
How historic is Montebello Township?
A
More historic than 89% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Montebello Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1849.
History grade
What drives Montebello Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Montebello Township is more historic than 89% of U.S. towns, #86 of 768 in Illinois. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Montebello Township’s 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 Montebello Township’s 24.4 sits above most of its state (88% of Illinois towns have fewer) while its 8 historic buildings outnumber those of 74% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±7.2 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1849 falls in the same era, so the grade doesn’t depend on which one is used.
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 →
What stands out about Montebello Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Montebello Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Montebello Township is one of twenty-four townships in Hancock County, Illinois, USA. As of the 2020 census, its population was 3,341 and it contained 1,574 housing units.
Its first post office opened in 1830. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 3,579 to 3,341 (-7%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Montebello Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1964Hamilton sheet · 1:24,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Montebello Township.
On the National Register
4 historic places in Montebello Township
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. One is a National Historic Landmark, the highest tier.
The Montebello Township post office opened in 1830, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1849.
How does Montebello Township rank for history?
Montebello Township is more historic than 89% of U.S. towns, #86 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.
What is on the National Register in Montebello Township?
4 listings: 1 building, among them the Cyrus Felt House (listed 1980, the first). 8 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Montebello Township?
22% of Montebello Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.2 points), against a typical 11% for an Illinois town; the median home was built in 1970.
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 (2), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) 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.
2026
2015
