Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
More historic than 52% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Below: maps from 1959 on and the census since 1870.
The Galveston post office opened in 1853, the earliest record of the town by name.
More historic than 52% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Galveston is more historic than 52% 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 Galveston’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: the first post office (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 Galveston’s history is told.
Peaked at 1,822 in 1980; 1,288 people lived here in 2020.
14 censuses, 1870–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Galveston’s Wikipedia page.
From Wikipedia’s history of Galveston.
Galveston was laid out in 1854. It was probably named after Galveston, Texas, although folk etymology holds that "a gal with a vest on" caused the name to be selected. Galveston was incorporated as a town in 1870.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention Galveston, cut from the printed page as they were published.
capacity till removed by General Griffin, military commander of this district, as an impediment to reconstruction. Captain Atkins was elected Sheriff of Galveston county in 1872 and held this office for four years, having served as a peace officer in the city of Galveston altogether for a period of fifteen years. In April, 1885, he became a candi-
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
and helped to protect those on the frontier against the attacks of the marauding bands of Mexicans and Indians. After the battle of San Jacinto he moved to Galveston island, and was living here when Michael B. Menard and his associates laid out the town of Galveston. He ever after made this place his home and died here November. 17,
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.
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological SurveyEvery edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Galveston. 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 Galveston.
The Galveston post office opened in 1853, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
Galveston is more historic than 52% 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.
40% of Galveston’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±12.2 points), against a typical 14% for an Indiana town; the median home was built in 1957.
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 (1), Wikipedia, 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.
2015