On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Comins Township is more historic than 22% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Comins 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 Comins 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 two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share (±2.5 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: our sources. 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 Comins Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The area was first settled by logger Coolidge Comins, who moved to the area from Bangor, Maine in 1873. At the time, the area was part of Alcona County to the east. Oscoda County itself was not established until 1881. A narrow-gauge railway was constructed by the H.M. Loud & Sons Lumber Company through the community in the 1890s. The line was operated by Au Sable & North Western Railroad, and the Comins Station had the advantage of being the last station along its route. The railroad allowed for easy transport of lumber to the community of Oscoda on the coast of Lake Huron. Comins quickly grew to become the lumbering hub of Oscoda County. Comins also benefited from the folding of the nearby community of McKinley, which suffered a series of devastating fires by 1900. Most of its railroad and lumber services moved to Comins, and the McKinley railroad depot building was also physic…
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Comins Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1972Fairview sheet · 1:24,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Comins Township.
Stories next door
History across the town line
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
Comins Township is more historic than 22% of U.S. towns. 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 Comins Township?
6% of Comins Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.5 points), against a typical 12% for a Michigan town; the median home was built in 1976.
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 Wikipedia, 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.
