The Almira Township post office opened in 1864, the earliest record of the town by name. Three smaller post offices, Almira (1864), Success (1873) and Oviatt (1889), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
2020 census: 3,873162 years
How historic is Almira Township?
C−
More historic than 21% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Almira Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).
History grade
What drives Almira Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Almira Township is more historic than 21% of U.S. towns, #629 of 701 in Michigan. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Almira Township’s overall grade.
Few Michigan towns list much on the Register (a typical Michigan town has 0.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Almira Township’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (32% of Michigan towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to C. The pre-1940 share (±2.4 points) is firm at this size. 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 Almira Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds
Three other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
Almira
1864–1893
Success
1873–1877
Oviatt
1889–1909
Lake Ann
1891–today
18601940today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Lake Ann
Gone or out of use
Almira Post Officepost officeLake Ann StationlocaleMelva StationlocaleOviatt Post Officepost officeSuccess Post Officepost office
3cemeteries and burying grounds inside Almira Township
AlmiraGreenbrierLake Ann
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
The story so far
Almira Township, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Almira Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Almira Township ( al-MY-rə) is a civil township in the northeast of Benzie County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the township population was 3,873, making it the most-populous municipality in Benzie County.
Its first post office opened in 1864. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 3,645 to 3,873 (+6%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Almira Township, 1864 to 1956
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Almira Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1956Thompsonville 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 Almira Township.
Stories next door
History across the town line
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
The Almira Township post office opened in 1864, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Almira Township rank for history?
Almira Township is more historic than 21% of U.S. towns, #629 of 701 in Michigan. 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 Almira Township?
4% of Almira Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.4 points), against a typical 12% for a Michigan town; the median home was built in 1994.
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 U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.
