Vine Grove’s post office opened in 1856, and 2 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 47% of U.S. towns · #88 of 142 in Kentucky. What drives it
Most of Vine Grove was built recently: 9% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2001. 2 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 19 buildings between them. Below: maps from 1936 on and the census since 1890.
The Vine Grove post office opened in 1856, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Otter Creek (1856), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
First census: 397 in 18902020 census: 6,559170 years
How historic is Vine Grove?
B−
More historic than 47% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Vine Grove post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).
History grade
What drives Vine Grove’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Vine Grove is more historic than 47% of U.S. towns, #88 of 142 in Kentucky. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Vine Grove’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 Vine Grove’s 27.8 sits near the middle of its state (48% of Kentucky towns have fewer) while its 19 historic buildings outnumber those of 79% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±5.1 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (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 Vine Grove’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 Vine Grove yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Vine Grove is a home rule-class city in Hardin County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 6,559 as of the 2020 Census, up from 4,520 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Elizabethtown-Fort–Fort Knox Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Its first post office opened in 1856. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 4,520 to 6,559 (+45%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Vine Grove, 1856 to 1936
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
The Vine Grove post office opened in 1856, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Vine Grove rank for history?
Vine Grove is more historic than 47% of U.S. towns, #88 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 Vine Grove?
Two places: the Stader Hotel (listed 1988) and the Vine Grove Historic District (1988).
How old are the homes in Vine Grove?
9% of Vine Grove’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.1 points), against a typical 5.9% for a Kentucky town; the median home was built in 2001.
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 (2), 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.
