More historic than 12% of U.S. towns · #129 of 142 in Kentucky. What drives it
Most of Farley was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1978. Below: maps from 1926 on and the census since 1980.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Farley is more historic than 12% of U.S. towns, #129 of 142 in Kentucky. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
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HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Farley’s overall grade.
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 Farley’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.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share (±2.2 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: our sources. 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 Farley’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Farley yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Farley is a census-designated place (CDP) in McCracken County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 4,374 as of the 2020 census, down from 4,701 in 2010. It is part of the Paducah, KY-IL Metropolitan Statistical Area. The area was listed by the U.S. Census Bureau as Woodlawn-Oakdale starting with the 1980 census and as Farley starting with the 2010 census.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 4,701 to 4,374 (-7%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
By decade
No old photos in the archives yet
Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
Farley is more historic than 12% of U.S. towns, #129 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.
How old are the homes in Farley?
4% of Farley’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.2 points), against a typical 5.9% for a Kentucky town; the median home was built in 1978.
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 U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) 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.
