Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
More historic than 88% of U.S. towns · #100 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
1 place in town is on the National Register, among them a historic district with 3 buildings. Below: 6 old photos and papers, maps from 1893 on, and the census since 1850.
Peru dates its founding to 1838 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history agree). The census first counted it in 1850.
More historic than 88% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Peru is more historic than 88% of U.S. towns, #100 of 768 in Illinois. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its share of homes from before 1940 ranks highest and its National Register listings 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 Peru’s 3.1 sits above most of its state (71% of Illinois towns have fewer) while its 3 historic buildings outnumber those of 65% of U.S. towns.
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 →
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Peru. 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 Peru.
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Born hereFlorence Holbrook is born here
In the archiveLumber(?) mill with "Barton" sign on top
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
Born hereZez Confrey is born here
Born hereJ. A. Happ is born here
Born hereNora Kirkpatrick is born hereFrom Wikipedia’s history of Peru.
The city's first settler was John Hays, who arrived in 1830. The city was organized as a borough in 1838, incorporated as a village February 25, 1845, and incorporated as a city on March 13, 1851. The original plat was between West Street, 4th Street, and East Street (now Pine Street).
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention Peru, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Peru was firet surveyed and platted by the school commission: ers in 1834. The Ninawa addition was platted and recorded by T. D. Brewster in 1836, embracing moat of the business part of the town. Pera was incorporated acity in Mareh, 1861, T.D, Brows ter wus the first mayor Vote polled im 1876, 862, and the popula.
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.
One decade in the archive so far: the 1860s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Peru’s page.
Retake this view · +15The 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 1,279 and 11,772 people in every census since 1850.
18 censuses, 1850–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Peru’s Wikipedia page.
Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.
Peru’s post office has been open since 1848.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
In 1838, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Peru’s post office opened in 1848, and the census of 1850 counted 1,279 people here.
Peru is more historic than 88% of U.S. towns, #100 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.
One place: the Westclox Manufacturing Plant Historic District (listed 2007).
28% of Peru’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.5 points), against a typical 11% for an Illinois town; the median home was built in 1958.
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), the Library of Congress (2), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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 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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