Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Most of Powderly was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1974.
The Powderly post office opened in 1890, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1963.
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 Powderly’s history is told.
From Wikipedia’s history of Powderly.
The city developed around a coal mine opened by the Cooperative Coal Company in 1887. The community was named for Terence Powderly, an early labor leader, when the post office was established the next year. William H. Smith served as the first postmaster. The town was incorporated in 1963.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
The Powderly post office opened in 1890, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1963.
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). How TownRatings grades history →
From Wikimedia Commons (6), 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.
2018
2018
2018
2006
2006
2004