Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
More historic than 64% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1958 on, and the census since 1880.
Dillsboro dates its founding to 1830 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1880.
Dillsboro was named for James Dill, a general in the War of 1812 and local resident.
More historic than 64% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Dillsboro is more historic than 64% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
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 Dillsboro’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.
Founding year: Wikipedia (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 Dillsboro’s history is told.
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Born hereJason B. Brown is born here
In the archiveAtlas of Dearborn County, Indiana - to which is added a map of the state of Indiana, also…
Born hereRichard Harbert Smith is born here
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological SurveyFrom Wikipedia’s history of Dillsboro.
Dillsboro was laid out in 1830. It was named for James Dill, a general in the War of 1812 and local resident.
The Dillsboro post office, established in 1837, was spelled Dillsborough until 1893.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention Dillsboro, cut from the printed page as they were published.
times a blue till at the base. This soil bears a marsh vegetation, sweet gum, beech, etc. It is a good grass soil, here as elsewhere, and fairly good for wheat when fertilized. It invariably requires tiling and careful rotation of crops to yield profitable results. The town of Dillsboro. in Dearborn county, is on the line separating the Miami clay from the limestone upland. It is a matter of common remark that east of Dillsboro corn is better than west, while the soils on the west produce better wheat and grass.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
children, his birth occurring on July 18, 1865. He received his education in the schools of Dillsboro, and during vacations and all spare time, assisted his father in the work of the farm home. For a while he was railroad black¬ smith at Dillsboro, and later gave up that occupation for the life of a farmer, operating the farm of one hundred acres located near Dillsboro, belonging to his wife. Mr. Bennett’s death occurred on January 18, 1915, when fifty years of age. He was a man held in high esteem by all who knew him, public spirited and deeply concerned in all that related to the best interests of his
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 1870s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Dillsboro. 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 Dillsboro.
Between 425 and 1,436 people in every census since 1880.
15 censuses, 1880–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Dillsboro’s Wikipedia page.
Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.
In 1830, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Dillsboro’s post office opened in 1837, and the census of 1880 counted 432 people here.
Dillsboro is more historic than 64% of U.S. towns. 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 Dillsboro’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.7 points), against a typical 14% for an Indiana town; the median home was built in 1965.
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), Wikidata (2), 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.
1875
2016
2016
