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B+History
History · East Lansing

East Lansing dates to 1847, and 3 of its places are on the National Register

More historic than 71% of U.S. towns · #194 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it

Most of East Lansing was built recently: 10% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1975. Its Register listings are the Central School, the Masonic Temple Building and the Michigan State Medical Society Building. Below: 15 old photos and papers, maps from 1909 on, and the census since 1910.

1847founded
3on the National Register
10%homes built before 1940
15old photos & papers
18famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From East Lansing’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How East Lansing began

When was East Lansing founded?

1847

East Lansing dates its founding to 1847 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1910.

First census: 802 in 19102020 census: 47,741179 years

How historic is East Lansing?

B+

More historic than 71% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1884.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives East Lansing’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, East Lansing is more historic than 71% of U.S. towns, #194 of 701 in Michigan. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of East Lansing’s overall grade.
Founding era1847, from Wikidata: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 19409.7% of homes (±1.8) · typical MI town 11.9% · U.S. 8.4%B−National Register3 listings, 0.7 per 10,000 residents · typical MI town 0.0 · U.S. 2.4B
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 71%
NewerOlder
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 72%

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 East Lansing’s 0.7 sits near the middle of its state (65% of Michigan towns have fewer) while its 3 listings outnumber those of 65% of U.S. towns.

NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1847.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B to A−. The pre-1940 share (±1.8 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 East Lansing’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A town in old photos15 old photos, postcards and papers, 1900–1999.On the map since 19093 editions of the USGS map, 1909 to 1970. Watch East Lansing change.Deep rootsEstablished in 1847: 179 years of East Lansing.Famous sons and daughtersNate Silver, Ryan Miller and 16 more were born here.
★ What stands out · By decade

East Lansing, decade by decade

4 decades in the archive, from the 1900s to the 1990s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1900s12 items
Michigan Agricultural College [i.e. Michigan State University], [East] Lansing, Mich1900Michigan Agricultural College [i.e. Michigan State Un…Wells, Mich. Agricultural College [Michigan State University], Lansing, Mich1900Wells, Mich. Agricultural College [Michigan State Uni…Norman's bldg., Mich. Agricultural College [i.e. Michigan State University], [East] Lansing, Mich1900Norman's bldg., Mich. Agricultural College [i.e. Mich…Williams Hall [sic], Mich. Agricultural College [i.e. Michigan State University], [East] Lansing, Mich1900Williams Hall [sic], Mich. Agricultural College [i.e.…[Red] Cedar River, Mich. Agricultural College [i.e. Michigan State University], [East] Lansing, Mich1900[Red] Cedar River, Mich. Agricultural College [i.e. M…Dam, [Red] Cedar River near Mich. Agricultural College [i.e. Michigan State University], [East] Lansing, Mich1900Dam, [Red] Cedar River near Mich. Agricultural Colleg…Lansing, Mich., Abbot Hall, Mich. Agricultural College1900Lansing, Mich., Abbot Hall, Mich. Agricultural CollegeDriveway, Michigan Agricultural College (Michigan State University)1905Driveway, Michigan Agricultural College (Michigan Sta…Wild garden, Michigan Agricultural College (Michigan State University)1905Wild garden, Michigan Agricultural College (Michigan …Howard Terrace, Michigan Agricultural College (Michigan State University)1905Howard Terrace, Michigan Agricultural College (Michig…Library, museum, Michigan Agricultural College (Michigan State University)1905Library, museum, Michigan Agricultural College (Michi…Red Cedar River, Michigan Agricultural College (Michigan State University)1905Red Cedar River, Michigan Agricultural College (Michi…
1910s–1950snothing yet
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.
Add from your album
1960s–1990s3 items
162 Gunson St, East Lansing MI, 19691969162 Gunson St, East Lansing MI, 1969Davis Airport Michigan Topo USGS 01-Jul-801980Davis Airport Michigan Topo USGS 01-Jul-80Davis Airport Michigan 2D8 USGS 07-Apr-19991999Davis Airport Michigan 2D8 USGS 07-Apr-1999
Today2 recent
Untitled photo2010Untitled photoMIMap-doton-EastLansing2005MIMap-doton-EastLansing
On the map

East Lansing on the map, 1909 to 1970

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

East Lansing on the 1909 USGS mapEast Lansing on the 1911 USGS mapEast Lansing on the 1970 USGS map1909Mason 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 East Lansing.

Timeline

East Lansing, 1847 to 1999

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1847
    FoundingEast Lansing is established
  3. 1884Post officeThe Agricultural College post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1900In the archiveMichigan Agricultural College [i.e. Michigan State University], [East] Lansing, Mich
  6. 1907Post officeThe Agricultural College post office closes
  7. 1907Post officeThe East Lansing post office opens
  8. 1909On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  9. 1952Born hereSpencer Abraham is born here
  10. 1959Born hereTaylor Nichols is born here
  11. 1969In the archive162 Gunson St, East Lansing MI, 1969
  12. 1978Born hereNate Silver is born here
  13. 1980In the archiveDavis Airport Michigan Topo USGS 01-Jul-80
  14. 1980Born hereRyan Miller is born here
  15. 1999In the archiveDavis Airport Michigan 2D8 USGS 07-Apr-1999
The story

How East Lansing came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of East Lansing.

Read it all →

East Lansing is located on land that was an important junction of two major Native American groups: the Potawatomi and the Fox. By 1850, the Lansing and Howell Plank Road Company was established to connect a toll road to the Detroit and Howell Plank Road, improving travel between Detroit and Lansing, which cut right through what is now East Lansing. The toll road was finished in 1853, and included seven toll houses between Lansing and Howell.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Michigan Agricultural College [i.e. Michigan State University], [East] Lansing, Mich
Retake this viewMichigan Agricultural College [i.e. Michigan State University], [East] Lansing, Mich, 1900

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on East Lansing’s page.

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

3 historic places in East Lansing

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
3
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
3
each building in a district counts
first listed
1986
Central School
Central SchoolMasonic Temple BuildingMichigan State Medical Society Building
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Neo-Classical1
Classical Revival1
Modern Movement1
Central SchoolNeo-Classical
Masonic Temple BuildingClassical Revival
Michigan State Medical Society BuildingModern Movement

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

People over time

East Lansing, census by census

05,00010,00015,00020,00025,00030,00035,00040,00045,00050,00055,000192019401960198020002020Peak: 51,392

Between 802 and 51,392 people in every census since 1910.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

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

Famous people

18 famous people were born in East Lansing

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

See all →
Nate SilverAmerican statistician, journalist, and poker pl… · b. 1978
Ryan MillerAmerican ice hockey goaltender · b. 1980
Spencer AbrahamAmerican attorney, author and politician · b. 1952
T
Taylor NicholsAmerican actor · b. 1959
Lorraine DastonAmerican historian of science · b. 1951
Tyasha HarrisAmerican basketball player · b. 1998
Places that used to be

Lost post offices

East Lansing’s post office has been open since 1907. Another post office, Agricultural College, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Agricultural College
1884–1907
East Lansing
1907–today
18801950today

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Help out

Finish East Lansing’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
4 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewMichigan Agricultural College [i.e. Mic…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Lansing35 historic placesAMeridian Township2 historic placesBDeWitt TownshipIts storyC+HaslettIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townBath TownshipIts storyC−Lansing TownshipIts storyB−Okemos3 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about East Lansing’s history

What year was East Lansing founded?

In 1847, according to Wikidata. East Lansing’s post office opened in 1884, and the census of 1910 counted 802 people here.

How does East Lansing rank for history?

East Lansing is more historic than 71% of U.S. towns, #194 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.

What is on the National Register in East Lansing?

Three places: the Central School (listed 1986), the Masonic Temple Building (1999) and the Michigan State Medical Society Building (2011).

How old are the homes in East Lansing?

10% of East Lansing’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.8 points), against a typical 12% for a Michigan town; the median home was built in 1975.

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 (5), the Library of Congress (12), the National Register of Historic Places (3), 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) 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.