Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The Tonganoxie post office opened in 1863, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1866.
Tonganoxie was named for a local Native American Chief from the Delaware Tribe whose name means "shorty" in the Delaware language.
More historic than 25% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Tonganoxie is more historic than 25% of U.S. towns, #108 of 151 in Kansas. Its share of homes from before 1940 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 Tonganoxie’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 Tonganoxie’s history is told.
From Wikipedia’s history of Tonganoxie.
Tonganoxie was platted in 1866. It was named for a local Native American Chief from the Delaware Tribe whose name means "shorty" in the Delaware language. Tonganoxie was incorporated as a city in 1871.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention Tonganoxie, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Tonganoxie.— The city of Tonganoxie, which is the second largest city in Leavenworth County at the present time, was also an early settlement in the county. It was named after an old Indian chief who lived along the Lawrence-Leavenworth Road in that community during the early fifties and whose home was a famous early day stopping place for
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
travelers in those days. The city of Tonganoxie was platted in 1866. The original townsite at the time of the platting was owned by Magdalena Berry. As platted the city contained forty acres. The first white settler of the village is reputed to have been William H. Fox, who built a log cabin on the townsite in 1862. During the early 60's a postoffice was established there, and James English was appointed the first postmaster. It was not until 1866 that a regular merchandise store was opened up there. It was owned by William Dane. A flour mill was put
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.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Tonganoxie. 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 Tonganoxie.
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a sheet.
1913Sheet 1 of 2Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Grew from 426 people in 1880 to 5,573 in 2020, more than tenfold.
15 censuses, 1880–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Tonganoxie’s Wikipedia page.
Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.
Tonganoxie’s post office has been open since 1863.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
The Tonganoxie post office opened in 1863, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1866.
Tonganoxie is more historic than 25% of U.S. towns, #108 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.
9% of Tonganoxie’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.5 points), against a typical 10% for a Kansas town; the median home was built in 1996.
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 (6), 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, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) 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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