Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
More historic than 43% of U.S. towns · #442 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Below: maps from 1888 on and the census since 1890.
Spring Valley dates its founding to 1884 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history agree). The census first counted it in 1890.
More historic than 43% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Spring Valley is more historic than 43% of U.S. towns, #442 of 768 in Illinois. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
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 Spring Valley’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.
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.
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Spring Valley’s history is told.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Spring Valley. 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 Spring Valley.
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.
1888Sheet 1 of 3Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
From Wikipedia’s history of Spring Valley.
Spring Valley lies in the valley of Spring Creek. The hills on either side of this valley were, and are to some extent today, laced with springs that still feed Spring Creek.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention Spring Valley, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Spring Valley is the center of a mining area of 40,000 acres of the best coal lands in Illinois. The Spring Valley Coal Company owns the coal rights in this vast tract of land. The town site of the city of Spring Valley was also owned by a Town Site Company, controlled by the coal company, but it has been sold at high prices to persons settling in the city.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
ritories of the North and Northwest to market its product. The ability of the company to operate its mines, to give steady employment to its men, and to sell its coal, is contingent upon two factors — first, the cost of mining at Spring Valley, as compared with the cost at the mines in the other Illinois coal fields with which we come in competition; second, the cost of railroad transportation from Spring Valley to competitive markets as compared with the cost of transportation fiom mines 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.
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Born hereBilly Papke is born here
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
Born hereChad Durbin is born hereBetween 3,837 and 7,035 people in every census since 1890.
14 censuses, 1890–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Spring Valley’s Wikipedia page.
Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.
Spring Valley’s post office has been open since 1886.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
In 1884, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Spring Valley’s post office opened in 1886, and the census of 1890 counted 3,837 people here.
Spring Valley is more historic than 43% of U.S. towns, #442 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.
23% of Spring Valley’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.9 points), against a typical 11% for an Illinois town; the median home was built in 1960.
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 (7), 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.
2018
2014
2014
2012
2004
2003
2003