More historic than 13% of U.S. towns · #704 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Most of Robbins was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1959. Below: maps from 1892 on and the census since 1920.
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1923.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Robbins’ History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Robbins is more historic than 13% of U.S. towns, #704 of 768 in Illinois. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Robbins’ 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 Robbins’ 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 C−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.0 points). Two sources give 1917.
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 Robbins’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Robbins was incorporated on December 14, 1917 and named for Eugene S. Robbins, a real estate developer who laid out the village's early subdivisions. The village's founder and first mayor was Thomas J. Kellar, who noted in an early interview "Our people in Robbins are mostly people who got tired of the white fights and the crowded city. They come out here to raise chickens, make gardens, and be a little more free". Robbins was the only municipality in the north that was entirely governed by African-Americans. Kellar, who was a clerk for the Cook County Board of Assessors, was tasked with investigating the procedures of incorporation. Thomas J. Kellar School in Robbins was named in his honor and first opened for the 1954 school year.
In 1917, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Robbins’ post office opened in 1923, and the census of 1920 counted 431 people here.
How does Robbins rank for history?
Robbins is more historic than 13% of U.S. towns, #704 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 Robbins?
6% of Robbins’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.0 points), against a typical 11% for an Illinois town; the median home was built in 1959.
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) 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.
