Most of Orchard Grass Hills was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1982. Below: maps from 1905 on and the census since 1980.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Orchard Grass Hills is among the newest of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
D−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Orchard Grass Hills’ 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 Orchard Grass Hills’ 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.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1979.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would still be D−. The pre-1940 share (±2.0 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: Wikidata (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 Orchard Grass Hills’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Orchard Grass Hills. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1905Prospect sheet · 1:62,500
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Orchard Grass Hills.
The story so far
Orchard Grass Hills, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Orchard Grass Hills yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Orchard Grass Hills is a home rule-class city in Oldham County, Kentucky, in the United States. The population was 1,536 as of the 2020 census.
Orchard Grass Hills was established in 1979. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 1,595 to 1,536 (-4%).
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.
In 1979, according to Wikidata. the census of 1980 counted 1,047 people here.
How does Orchard Grass Hills rank for history?
Orchard Grass Hills is among the newest of U.S. towns. 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 Orchard Grass Hills?
0.0% of Orchard Grass Hills’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.0 points), against a typical 5.9% for a Kentucky town; the median home was built in 1982.
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.
