More historic than 19% of U.S. towns · #540 of 593 in Indiana. What drives it
Most of Austin was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1974. Below: maps from 1947 on and the census since 1870.
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1854.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Austin’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Austin is more historic than 19% of U.S. towns, #540 of 593 in Indiana. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Austin’s overall grade.
Indiana towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Indiana town has 7.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Austin’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (22% of Indiana 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 (±4.0 points). Two sources give 1853.
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 Austin’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Austin was platted in 1853, and named after Austin, Texas. A post office has been in operation at Austin since 1854.
The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirms that Austin “contains the largest drug-fueled H.I.V. outbreak to hit rural America in recent history.” Its 5 percent infection rate “is comparable to some African nations.” According to New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman, who visited with Austin's only doctor, Will Cooke, Austin "doesn’t just sit at the intersection between Indianapolis and Louisville but at the intersection of hopelessness and economic ruin.”
In 1853, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Austin’s post office opened in 1854, and the census of 1870 counted 321 people here.
How does Austin rank for history?
Austin is more historic than 19% of U.S. towns, #540 of 593 in Indiana. 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 Austin?
4% of Austin’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.0 points), against a typical 14% for an Indiana town; the median home was built in 1974.
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 (1), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) and the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
2016
