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History · Alanson

Alanson dates to 1875, and 12% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1958 on and the census since 1910.

1875founded
0on the National Register
12%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Royalbroil · CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answers

How Alanson began

When was Alanson founded?

1875

Alanson dates its founding to 1875 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history agree). The census first counted it in 1910.

First census: 473 in 19102020 census: 778151 years
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1877.

What stands out about Alanson’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Alanson are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Shrank, then grewLost a third of its people between 1910 and 1930, then more than doubled.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Alanson’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Alanson’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Alanson, census by census

0200400600800192019401960198020002020473 in 1910Low: 287

Lost a third of its people between 1910 and 1930, then more than doubled.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Alanson’s Wikipedia page.

The story so far

Alanson, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Alanson yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Alanson ( ə-LAN-sən) is a village in Emmet County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 778 at the 2020 census. Alanson is in Littlefield Township on U.S. Highway 31 at the junction with M-68. Petoskey is about 12 miles (19 km) southwest on US 31 and Mackinaw City and the Mackinac Bridge are about 25 miles (40 km) north. Interstate 75 is about 11 miles (18 km) to the east on M-68 at Indian River. Alanson was first settled in 1875. The Alanson post office opened with the name Hinman on January 17, 1877, and changed to Alanson on June 22, 1882.

Alanson was established in 1875. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 738 to 778 (+5%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

Timeline

Alanson, 1875 to 2000

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1875
    FoundingAlanson is established
  3. 20th century
  4. 1958On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  5. 1986Born hereFrank Foster is born here
  6. 21st century
  7. 2000CensusPopulation peaks at 785
By decade

Alanson, decade by decade

Today7 recent
Alanson (village), MI location22019Alanson (village), MI location2Alanson (village), MI location2019Alanson (village), MI locationW.W. Fairbairn2017W.W. FairbairnSwing Bridge-Alanson2017Swing Bridge-AlansonLittlefield Alanson Community Building2011Littlefield Alanson Community BuildingAlanson Michigan Sign US312011Alanson Michigan Sign US31Alanson Michigan Downtown 2 US312011Alanson Michigan Downtown 2 US31
On the map

Alanson on the map, 1958 to 1983

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Alanson. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Alanson on the 1958 USGS mapAlanson on the 1975 USGS mapAlanson on the 1983 USGS map1958Petoskey 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 Alanson.

Questions about Alanson’s history

What year was Alanson founded?

In 1875, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Alanson’s post office opened in 1877, and the census of 1910 counted 473 people here.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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Sources

Where this page comes from

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). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (7), Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps and U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.