Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
More historic than 45% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Most of Monrovia was built recently: 8% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2007. Below: old-book passages.
The Monrovia post office opened in 1834, the earliest record of the town by name.
More historic than 45% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Monrovia is more historic than 45% of U.S. towns. Its age 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 Monrovia’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 Monrovia’s history is told.
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
From Wikipedia’s history of Monrovia.
Monrovia was laid out in 1834. The town's name is derived from Monroe Township, named for James Monroe. A post office has been in operation at Monrovia since 1834.
The Lake Ditch Bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.
The town is the subject of the well-regarded Frederick Wiseman documentary Monrovia, Indiana, released in October 2018.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention Monrovia, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Gasburg is situated in Monroe township, on the gravel road midway between the towns of Monrovia and Mooresville, and contains about 40 inhabitants. It has i store, i shoe shop, i blacksmith shop, steam saw mill, and post office.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Monrovia, a town of some four hundred inhabitants, is a nice enterprising business place, located near the north line of the county in Monroe township. Hall, Pine City and Lincoln are all villages of respectability, situated in Gregg township. Eminence, a town of three hundred citizens, is located near the west line of the county, in Adams township. Brooklyn and Centerton are places of considerable note in Clay township, and both are on the railroad. Centerton once received the vote
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.
Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.
The Monrovia post office opened in 1834, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
Monrovia 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.
8% of Monrovia’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.2 points), against a typical 14% for an Indiana town; the median home was built in 2007.
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 (2), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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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