On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Otis is more historic than 94% of U.S. towns. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its age ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Otis’ overall grade.
Massachusetts towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Massachusetts town has 46.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Otis’ 357 sits above most of its state (87% of Massachusetts towns have fewer) while its 58 historic buildings outnumber those of 86% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1735.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A to A+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±5.0 points).
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 Otis’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The town was incorporated in 1810, created when the unincorporated town of Loudon annexed the adjacent District of Bethlehem in 1809. It was named after Harrison Gray Otis, an influential lawyer, financier, and politician in revolutionary Massachusetts. Colonel Henry Knox passed through the town in January 1776, bringing cannons from Fort Ticonderoga in New York to aid in ending the Siege of Boston, a route now known as the Knox Trail. The town was a farming community, with several small mill industries growing along the waterways, and today is mostly rural with some tourism.
Passages that mention Otis, cut from the printed page as they were published.
The history of Pittsfield, (Berkshire County,) Massachusetts ... comp. and written, under the general direction of a committee1869 · page 530Read the page →
Read the text
bridge made a volupteer survey from the Connecticut to the Hudson, which he presented to a meeting held on the 21st of September. The line, he proposed, ran from Springfield, up the Westfield and Little Westfield rivers, to Otis ; thence through Lee, Stockhridge and West Stockbridge. The highest summit was in East Otis, being thirteen hundred feet above the level of the Hudson. Although the distance by turnpike from Springfield to Albany was only eighty-four miles, this route was ninety
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Timeline
Otis, 1735 to 1931
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
In 1735, according to Wikidata. Otis’ post office opened in 1807.
How does Otis rank for history?
Otis is more historic than 94% 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.
What is on the National Register in Otis?
Two places: the East Otis Schoolhouse (listed 2021) and the Otis Center Historic District (2022).
How old are the homes in Otis?
18% of Otis’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.0 points), against a typical 21% for a Massachusetts town; the median home was built in 1974.
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 (5), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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