Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
More historic than 82% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Its Register listings are the Music Pavilion and the West Water Tower and Ground Storage Tank. Below: maps from 1886 on and the census since 1880.
The Orion post office opened in 1848, the earliest record of the town by name.
More historic than 82% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Orion is more historic than 82% of U.S. towns. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its age ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
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 Orion’s 11.0 sits above most of its state (84% of Illinois towns have fewer) while its 2 listings outnumber those of 60% 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 Orion’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.
1886Sheet 1 of 2Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions 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.
From Wikipedia’s history of Orion.
Orion was laid out on December 26, 1853, by Charles W. Dean. Until 1867 it was called Deanington.
Two Orion locations are listed in the National Park Service's National Register of Historic Places:
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention Orion, cut from the printed page as they were published.
at this point, but two or three stores were open, and a few shops of various kinds supplied the needs of the community. The first railroad train came into the village in October, 1870, and was received with universal greeting by the citizens of Orion. The railroads at once awakened new enterprises. Buildings were immediately erected, additional stores and shops were built, and the town began to show signs of an active business.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
As early as 1850 a postoffice was established in thevtownship, called Orion. Mrs. Blackfan was appointed Postmistress, and held the position until it was moved to Orion in 1853. In JDecember of that year Charles W. Dean laid out Orion, which for some time was known as Deanington. In 1867 it was christened' its present name. Mr. Dean immediately erected a store-building, and embarked in the
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.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Orion. 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 Orion.
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Between 584 and 2,013 people in every census since 1880.
15 censuses, 1880–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Orion’s Wikipedia page.
The Orion post office opened in 1848, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
Orion is more historic than 82% 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.
Two places: the Music Pavilion (listed 2002) and the West Water Tower and Ground Storage Tank (2003).
16% of Orion’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.6 points), against a typical 11% for an Illinois town; the median home was built in 1965.
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), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (2), 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.
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