On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Columbia Township is more historic than 81% of U.S. towns, #221 of 593 in Indiana. All 2 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its share of homes from before 1940 ranks highest and its National Register listings lowest.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Columbia Township’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 Columbia Township’s 5.7 sits near the middle of its state (55% of Indiana towns have fewer) while its 2 historic buildings outnumber those of 60% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±6.3 points).
Founding year: our sources. 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 Columbia Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Peaked at 4,766 in 1950; 3,539 people lived here in 2020.
14 censuses, 1890–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Columbia Township’s Wikipedia page.
On the map
Columbia Township on the map, 1903 to 1980
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Columbia Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1903Petersburg sheet · 1:62,500
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Columbia Township.
The story so far
Columbia Township, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Columbia Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Columbia Township is one of ten townships in Gibson County, Indiana. As of the 2020 census, its population was 3,539 (down from 3,830 at 2010) and it contained 1,757 housing units. Oakland City is the township seat. Columbia Township was established in 1825.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 3,830 to 3,539 (-8%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Columbia Township, 1851 to 1950
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Columbia Township is more historic than 81% of U.S. towns, #221 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 Columbia Township?
27% of Columbia Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.3 points), against a typical 14% for an Indiana town; the median home was built in 1960.
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 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.
