Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
More historic than 20% of U.S. towns · #121 of 151 in Kansas. What drives it
Most of Mission was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1972. Below: maps from 1934 on and the census since 1960.
The Mission post office opened in 1895, the earliest record of the town by name.
More historic than 20% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Mission is more historic than 20% of U.S. towns, #121 of 151 in Kansas. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull 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 Mission’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: 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 Mission’s history is told.
From Wikipedia’s history of Mission.
An Indian mission was established in 1829 at the town's site, hence the name of the later settlement.
Today, the town is broken into lots, with small houses of different designs on large lots.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention Mission, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Mission, Thomas Johnson ; Kanzas or Kaw Mission, William Johnson." For the years 1832 and 1833 there were four Indian missions in Kansas, comprising" the Indian missionary district. In 1833 and 1834 it was called the north Indian mission district.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
wigwams or in huts and shacks in the surrounding Avoods. The place was without a name unless one wished to call it a village or the "Peoria Village." Father Paul usually rested here before turning to the West in his long circuit of Mission stations. A Avell founded tradition has it that Father Paul gave the name "Paola" to the Peoria village. This word is Italian, in the feminine gender, to agree with the noun "Citta'' understood. The full form of expression as used in that language is "La Citta di Paola" — the city of Paul. As no other Italian ever visited these
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Sugar Creek Mission, St. Mary's Mission, or Mission of the Immaculate Conception, as it was variously called, must have become very dear to the hearts of all these men ; and no less so to that truly remarkable woman. Mother Duchesne, and to her band of devoted teachers.
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 hereMatthew A. Waller is born here
Born hereDorian Bailey is born hereWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Mission. 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 Mission.
Grew from 4,626 people in 1960 to 9,954 in 2020.
7 censuses, 1960–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Mission’s Wikipedia page.
Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.
Mission had its own post office from 1895 to 1960.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
The Mission post office opened in 1895, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
Mission is more historic than 20% of U.S. towns, #121 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.
5% of Mission’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.8 points), against a typical 10% for a Kansas town; the median home was built in 1972.
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 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.
