Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Most of Brimley was built recently: 9% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1978. Below: maps from 1951 on.
The Brimley post office opened in 1896, the earliest record of the town by name.
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Brimley’s history is told.
From Wikipedia’s history of Brimley.
Brimley was established as a station on the Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway in 1872. The community was platted in 1887, and was given a post office with the name Superior in 1888. The community was renamed to Brimley in 1896.
For the 2020 census, Brimley was included as a newly listed census-designated place.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Weddings 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 Brimley. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Brimley.
Nobody well known was born in Brimley itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
The Brimley post office opened in 1896, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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 Wikipedia and U.S. Geological Survey historical maps. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
