Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
More historic than 34% of U.S. towns · #102 of 142 in Kentucky. What drives it
Most of Cold Spring was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1999. Below: maps from 1898 on and the census since 1950.
Cold Spring dates its founding to 1800 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1950.
More historic than 34% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Cold Spring is more historic than 34% of U.S. towns, #102 of 142 in Kentucky. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
Kentucky towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Kentucky town has 29.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Cold Spring’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (12% of Kentucky towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
Founding year: Wikipedia (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 Cold Spring’s history is told.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Cold Spring. 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 Cold Spring.
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 SurveyFrom Wikipedia’s history of Cold Spring.
The name "Cold Spring" refers to a cold stream which for many years served as the sole source of drinking water. The community was founded prior to 1800, and a post office was established in 1832. It has since merged with the post office of Highland Heights.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Grew from 518 people in 1950 to 6,216 in 2020, more than tenfold.
8 censuses, 1950–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Cold Spring’s Wikipedia page.
Cold Spring had its own post office from 1831 to 1958.
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.
In 1800, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Cold Spring’s post office opened in 1831, and the census of 1950 counted 518 people here.
Cold Spring is more historic than 34% of U.S. towns, #102 of 142 in Kentucky. 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.
4% of Cold Spring’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.8 points), against a typical 5.9% for a Kentucky town; the median home was built in 1999.
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) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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