Cape Elizabeth dates to 1628, and 19% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 88% of U.S. towns · #54 of 143 in Maine. What drives it
7 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 2 buildings. Below: 7 old photos and papers, maps from 1893 on, and the census since 1790.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1853.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Cape Elizabeth’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Cape Elizabeth is more historic than 88% of U.S. towns, #54 of 143 in Maine. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its age ranks highest and its National Register listings lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Cape Elizabeth’s overall grade.
Maine towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Maine town has 15.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Cape Elizabeth’s 11.5 sits near the middle of its state (45% of Maine towns have fewer) while its 11 historic buildings outnumber those of 76% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1628.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±5.9 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 Cape Elizabeth’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Spanish explorers mapped the area in 1525, naming it "Cabo de Arrecife." English explorer Bartholomew Gosnold arrived on May 14, 1602, during his New England explorations. The English name derives from King Charles I of England, who renamed it in honor of his sister, Elizabeth of Bohemia, when John Smith presented his 1615 map for royal approval—one of only four such royal renamings that survive today.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Cape Elizabeth. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1893Casco Bay sheet · 1:62,500
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Cape Elizabeth.
Then & now
Stand where they stood
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.
Retake this viewFerry landing, at Cape Elizabeth, Portland, Me, c. 1869
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Cape Elizabeth’s page.
In 1628, according to Wikidata. Cape Elizabeth’s post office opened in 1853, and the first U.S. census counted 1,356 people here in 1790.
How does Cape Elizabeth rank for history?
Cape Elizabeth is more historic than 88% of U.S. towns, #54 of 143 in Maine. 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 Cape Elizabeth?
7 listings: 5 buildings, among them the Spurwink Congregational Church (listed 1970, the first), 1 historic district, the Dyer-Hutchinson Farm, with 2 contributing buildings, and 1 structure. 11 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Cape Elizabeth?
19% of Cape Elizabeth’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.9 points), against a typical 19% for a Maine town; the median home was built in 1967.
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 (7), Wikidata (4), the National Register of Historic Places (7), 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.
c. 1869
c. 1869
c. 1869
c. 1898
