More historic than 26% of U.S. towns · #107 of 151 in Kansas. What drives it
Most of Mulvane was built recently: 9% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1980. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1890 on, and the census since 1880.
The Mulvane post office opened in 1879, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1883. Another post office, Littleton (1871), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
First census: 215 in 18802020 census: 6,286147 years
How historic is Mulvane?
C
More historic than 26% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Mulvane post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1883.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Mulvane’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Mulvane is more historic than 26% of U.S. towns, #107 of 151 in Kansas. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Mulvane’s overall grade.
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 Mulvane’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.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to C. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.8 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1883 falls in the same era, so the grade doesn’t depend on which one is used.
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 →
What stands out about Mulvane’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Mulvane was laid out in 1879 at the junction of five Santa Fe rail lines. It is named for Joab R. Mulvane, a railroad official who was instrumental in bringing the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad to Mulvane.
Mulvane was changed to a city of the second class on December 20, 2001.
In 2008 and 2009, the city annexed land towards the west side of I-35 (Kansas Turnpike), then the Kansas Star Casino opened on it in 2011.
Passages that mention Mulvane, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Wichita and Sedgwick County, Kansas, past and present, including an account of the cities, towns and villages of the county1910 · page 248Read the page →
Read the text
ita & Colorado Railroad to Hutchinson : the extension of the Missouri Pacific Railroad from Anthony to Kiowa, to get this territory of a tributary to Wichita, and also a road called the Leroy & Western, which was built from Mulvane, through the southern part of the county, west to Clearwater, Norwich and thereafter to Coldwater, all for the purpose of bringing this territory into Wichita as tributary territory.
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.
Timeline
Mulvane, 1871 to 1890
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
The Mulvane post office opened in 1879, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1883.
How does Mulvane rank for history?
Mulvane is more historic than 26% of U.S. towns, #107 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.
How old are the homes in Mulvane?
9% of Mulvane’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.8 points), against a typical 10% for a Kansas town; the median home was built in 1980.
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 (6), Wikipedia, 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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