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B−History
History · Clawson

Clawson dates to 1829

More historic than 50% of U.S. towns · #362 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it

Most of Clawson was built recently: 10% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1958. Below: maps from 1908 on and the census since 1930.

1829founded
0on the National Register
10%homes built before 1940
5famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Bmburch · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How Clawson began

When was Clawson founded?

1829

Clawson dates its founding to 1829 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1930.

First census: 3,377 in 19302020 census: 11,389197 years

How historic is Clawson?

B−

More historic than 50% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1880.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Clawson’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Clawson is more historic than 50% of U.S. towns, #362 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 Clawson’s overall grade.
Founding era1829, from Wikipedia: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 19409.6% of homes (±2.3) · typical MI town 11.9% · U.S. 8.4%B−National RegisterNo listings counted · typical MI town 0.0 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 50%
NewerOlder
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 48%

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 Clawson’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 Wikipedia alone; no second source gives 1829.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B. The pre-1940 share (±2.3 points) is firm at this size.

Founding year: Wikipedia (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 Clawson’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 Clawson are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 17,617 in 1970; 11,389 people lived here in 2020.On the map since 19087 editions of the USGS map, 1908 to 1981. Watch Clawson change.Deep rootsEstablished in 1829: 197 years of Clawson.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Clawson’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Clawson’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

Clawson, census by census

02,0004,0006,0008,00010,00012,00014,00016,00018,00019401960198020002020Peak: 17,617

Peaked at 17,617 in 1970; 11,389 people lived here in 2020.

10 censuses, 1930–2020.

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

On the map

Clawson on the map, 1908 to 1981

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

Clawson on the 1908 USGS mapClawson on the 1936 USGS mapClawson on the 1945 USGS mapClawson on the 1952 USGS mapClawson on the 1968 USGS mapClawson on the 1973 USGS mapClawson on the 1981 USGS map1908Rochester 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 Clawson.

The story

How Clawson came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Clawson.

Read it all →

This area was occupied by the historic Potowatomi people, who were among the indigenous peoples in the Detroit territory. They traded furs for goods for years with the French Canadians and English colonists.

The city's name is a misspelling of the surname of John C. Lawson, an early European-American settler. It was founded by European Americans in 1829 and was originally known as Pumachug and The Corners. The name was inspired by the sound made by the Cider Mill and Saw Mill on each corner of the main intersection. The sound was described as "pum-a-chug, pum-a-chug." The city was incorporated as Clawson in 1920 as a village; in 1940 it was incorporated as a city.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Clawson in 1912

Passages that mention Clawson, cut from the printed page as they were published.

The third postoffice and settlement in Troy township is Clawson, near the southern line, four and a half miles southeast of Birmingham, at which its merchants bank, and itself located on the line of the Detroit United Railway. At Clawson. or near it, are saw, grist and cider mills, and it has a fai…
History of Oakland County, Michigan1912 · page 489Read the page →
Read the text

The third postoffice and settlement in Troy township is Clawson, near the southern line, four and a half miles southeast of Birmingham, at which its merchants bank, and itself located on the line of the Detroit United Railway. At Clawson. or near it, are saw, grist and cider mills, and it has a fair trade with the neighboring farmers and fruit growers.

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Timeline

Clawson, 1829 to 1983

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1829
    FoundingClawson is established
  3. 1880Post officeThe Clawson post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1908On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  6. 1970CensusPopulation peaks at 17,617
  7. 1974Born hereDavid Robert Mitchell is born here
  8. 1975Born hereMark Campbell is born here
  9. 1976Born hereDan Scanlon is born here
  10. 1983Born hereTim Gleason is born here
By decade

Clawson, decade by decade

Today10 recent
Welcome to Clawson Sign2024Welcome to Clawson SignDowntown Clawson Theatre Marquee Zoom-In2024Downtown Clawson Theatre Marquee Zoom-InDowntown Clawson Marquee Sign2024Downtown Clawson Marquee SignDowntown Clawson Main Street Clock2024Downtown Clawson Main Street ClockDowntown Clawson Clock and Building2024Downtown Clawson Clock and BuildingClawson Memorial Park2024Clawson Memorial ParkClawson Historical Museum and Sign2024Clawson Historical Museum and SignClawson City Hall Sign Zoom-In2024Clawson City Hall Sign Zoom-InClawson2021ClawsonClawson-02872017Clawson-0287
Famous people

5 famous people were born in Clawson

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
David Robert MitchellAmerican director and writer · b. 1974
Tim GleasonAmerican ice hockey player · b. 1983
Dan ScanlonAmerican animator · b. 1976
M
Mark CampbellAmerican football player · b. 1975
B
Bobby NashAmerican mixed martial artist · b. 1990
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Royal Oak2 historic placesA−Troy2 historic placesB

Questions about Clawson’s history

What year was Clawson founded?

In 1829, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Clawson’s post office opened in 1880, and the census of 1930 counted 3,377 people here.

How does Clawson rank for history?

Clawson is more historic than 50% of U.S. towns, #362 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 Clawson?

10% of Clawson’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.3 points), against a typical 12% for a Michigan town; the median home was built in 1958.

Memory lane

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

Town Square →
Start a conversation
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).

From Wikimedia Commons (10), 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), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.