Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
More historic than 14% of U.S. towns · #140 of 151 in Kansas. What drives it
Most of Andover was built recently: 1% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2002. Below: maps from 1945 on and the census since 1960.
Andover dates its founding to 1873 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1960.
More historic than 14% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Andover is more historic than 14% of U.S. towns, #140 of 151 in Kansas. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
Kansas towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Kansas town has 5.1 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Andover’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (19% of Kansas towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% 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 first neighbors to add old photos shape how Andover’s history is told.
Andover’s post office has been open since 1880. Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikipedia’s history of Andover.
When the Kansas territory was first mapped, the original Andover area was called Minneha (Native American name). Later it was changed to Cloud City.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention Andover, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Andover, the county seat of Bruno township, was platted by Charley A. Glancey in 1880. It is a thriving little village on the Frisco railroad. It has one general store, owned by W. E. Peacock; bank. Earl J. Fanner, cashier; lumber yard, S. B. McClaren ; millinery, barber and blacksmith shops, postoffice and other lines represented and all doing a good business.
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 Survey
Born hereKevin Schmidt is born hereEvery edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Andover. 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 Andover.
Grew from 186 people in 1960 to 14,892 in 2020, more than tenfold.
7 censuses, 1960–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Andover’s Wikipedia page.
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
In 1873, according to Wikidata. Andover’s post office opened in 1877, and the census of 1960 counted 186 people here.
Andover is more historic than 14% of U.S. towns, #140 of 151 in Kansas. 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.
1% of Andover’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.1 points), against a typical 10% for a Kansas town; the median home was built in 2002.
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 (3), 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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