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B−History
History · Harlan

Harlan’s post office opened in 1851, and 27% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 45% of U.S. towns. What drives it

1851first post office
0on the National Register
27%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Harlan began

When was Harlan founded?

1851

The Harlan post office opened in 1851, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 1,577175 years

How historic is Harlan?

B−

More historic than 45% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Harlan post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).
History grade

What drives Harlan’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Harlan is more historic than 45% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.

B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Harlan’s overall grade.
Founding era1851, from the first post office: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 194026.5% of homes (±17.0) · typical IN town 14.4% · U.S. 8.4%A−National RegisterNo listings counted · typical IN town 7.9 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 45%
NewerOlder

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 Harlan’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 B. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±17.0 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.

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 →

Questions about Harlan’s history

What year was Harlan founded?

The Harlan post office opened in 1851, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

How does Harlan rank for history?

Harlan is more historic than 45% 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.

How old are the homes in Harlan?

27% of Harlan’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±17.0 points), against a typical 14% for an Indiana town; the median home was built in 1972.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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Sources

Where this page comes from

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).