More historic than 48% of U.S. towns · #383 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Most of Burton was built recently: 8% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1964. Below: 1 old photo or paper from 1899 on and the census since 1880.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1861.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Burton’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Burton is more historic than 48% of U.S. towns, #383 of 701 in Michigan. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Burton’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 Burton’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.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1831.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B. The pre-1940 share (±1.9 points) is firm at this size.
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 Burton’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Although there were Native Americans and trappers whom lived on land earlier, and even some who attempted to settle by there, many of the original settlers of Burton came from the towns of Adams and Henderson in Jefferson County, New York. For 20 years, this area was known as the Atherton settlement, after brothers Shubael and Perus Atherton and nephew Pliny Atherton Skinner (and later joined by another brother, Adonijah), who settled on the Thread Creek in 1835. Atherton descendants still live in Burton in 2014.
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.
In 1831, according to Wikidata. Burton’s post office opened in 1861, and the census of 1880 counted 1,363 people here.
How does Burton rank for history?
Burton is more historic than 48% of U.S. towns, #383 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 Burton?
8% of Burton’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.9 points), against a typical 12% for a Michigan town; the median home was built in 1964.
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), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.
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