Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
More historic than 82% of U.S. towns · #217 of 593 in Indiana. What drives it
Most of Georgetown was built recently: 8% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1998. 1 place in town is on the National Register, among them a historic district with 163 buildings. Below: maps from 1939 on and the census since 1880.
Georgetown dates its founding to 1833 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history agree). The census first counted it in 1880.
More historic than 82% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Georgetown is more historic than 82% of U.S. towns, #217 of 593 in Indiana. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls 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 Georgetown’s 429 sits above most of its state (94% of Indiana towns have fewer) while its 163 historic buildings outnumber those of 92% 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 country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Georgetown’s history is told.
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Born hereSimeon K. Wolfe is born here
Born hereSherman Minton is born here
Born hereR. Carlyle Buley is born here
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological SurveyFrom Wikipedia’s history of Georgetown.
Georgetown was platted in 1833 by George W. Waltz (1767–1850), and named for him. The Georgetown post office was established in 1837.
The Georgetown Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2013. The Yenowine-Nichols-Collins House was listed in 1975 and delisted in 2008.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention Georgetown, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Rowley was divided into four School Districts. Since then some of those districts have been divided and subdivided, so that there are now in the town of Rowley four, and in the the town of Georgetown seven, school districts. For many years, the town appointed a committee to hire Teachers for all the Schools ; latterly, they authorize each district to hire their own.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
1753 — Bath incorporated as a parish, and called the Second Parish of Georgetown ; and .bounded as follows: east by Sagadahock • river, west by New Meadows or Stevens river, north by Merrynfeeting ^ijLaud south by Winnegance creek.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Between 1730 and 1740, Deacon Abner Spofford erected the first saw-mill at the place where William Spofford's sawmill now stands, in Georgetown, which has been in use a portion of each year to the present time. Colonel Daniel Spofford and his sons, soon after the year 1780, erected a grist-mill in connexion with said saw-mill, which was kept in use a portion of each year, for about 40 years, and then taken down.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Kennebec, and the French gave up the claim and settlement on the west, which was called New England, and afterwards called the District of Maine, and the east side was called Acadie. Thus we see the town of Georgetown lays in two ancient Provinces and under the authority of two European Monarch*, and divided by the river Sagadahoek until 1745, when the army from New England, under General Pepperell, captured Louisburg on the Island of Cape Pritton, which settled
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.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Georgetown. 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 Georgetown.
Grew from 218 people in 1880 to 3,805 in 2020, more than tenfold.
15 censuses, 1880–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Georgetown’s Wikipedia page.
Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.
In 1833, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Georgetown’s post office opened in 1837, and the census of 1880 counted 218 people here.
Georgetown is more historic than 82% of U.S. towns, #217 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.
One place: the Georgetown Historic District (listed 2013).
8% of Georgetown’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.1 points), against a typical 14% for an Indiana town; the median home was built in 1998.
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 (8), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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.
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