More historic than 12% of U.S. towns · #133 of 161 in Louisiana. What drives it
Most of Brownfields was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1977. Below: maps from 1939 on and the census since 1990.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Brownfields is more historic than 12% of U.S. towns, #133 of 161 in Louisiana. 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 Brownfields’ overall grade.
Louisiana towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Louisiana town has 3.8 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Brownfields’ 0.0 sits below most of its state (21% of Louisiana 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 (±2.6 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 Brownfields’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
The story so far
Brownfields, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Brownfields yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Brownfields is an unincorporated area and census-designated place (CDP) in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, United States. As of the 2020 census, Brownfields had a population of 5,145. It is part of the Baton Rouge metropolitan statistical area.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 5,401 to 5,145 (-5%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Brownfields is more historic than 12% of U.S. towns, #133 of 161 in Louisiana. 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 Brownfields?
3% of Brownfields’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.6 points), against a typical 3.4% for a Louisiana town; the median home was built in 1977.
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 Wikimedia Commons (1), 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.
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