Radcliff dates to 1919, and 1 of its places is on the National Register
More historic than 10% of U.S. towns · #131 of 142 in Kentucky. What drives it
Its Register listing is the Haycraft Inn. Most of Radcliff was built recently: 1% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1983. Below: maps from 1936 on and the census since 1960.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1846.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Radcliff’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Radcliff is more historic than 10% of U.S. towns, #131 of 142 in Kentucky. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Radcliff’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 Radcliff’s 0.4 sits below most of its state (24% of Kentucky towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1919.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to C−. The pre-1940 share (±0.9 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 Radcliff’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Incorporated in 1956, Radcliff was first settled in 1919, when Horace McCullum subdivided lots along Wilson Avenue and sold them at auction to the highest bidder. McCullum named the new community after Major William Radcliffe, head of the Quartermaster Corps at the newly established Camp Henry Knox. After selling the general store he had opened in the new town, McCullum no longer played a role in its development.
In 1919, according to Wikidata. Radcliff’s post office opened in 1846, and the census of 1960 counted 3,384 people here.
How does Radcliff rank for history?
Radcliff is more historic than 10% of U.S. towns, #131 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.
What is on the National Register in Radcliff?
One place: the Haycraft Inn (listed 1988).
How old are the homes in Radcliff?
1% of Radcliff’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 5.9% for a Kentucky town; the median home was built in 1983.
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 the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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.
