More historic than 3% of U.S. towns · #757 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Most of Park City was built recently: 1% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1986. Below: maps from 1906 on and the census since 1960.
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Park City’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Park City is more historic than 3% of U.S. towns, #757 of 768 in Illinois. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
D−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Park City’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 Park City’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.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D− to D. The pre-1940 share (±1.7 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1958.
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 Park City’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Park City was incorporated in 1958 through the approval of a referendum by Park City residents. The incorporation was spearheaded by the owners of four trailer parks in the community who wanted to avoid annexation by the neighboring city of Waukegan. In the late 1970s, a federal lawsuit was filed against Park City, alleging that the city was engaging in housing discrimination against non-whites. Since that time, the city has become a multi-cultural community, accepting a wide diversity of people from different backgrounds and ethnicities.
In 1958, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. the census of 1960 counted 1,408 people here.
How does Park City rank for history?
Park City is more historic than 3% of U.S. towns, #757 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 Park City?
1% of Park City’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.7 points), against a typical 11% for an Illinois town; the median home was built in 1986.
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, 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.
