Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
More historic than 16% of U.S. towns · #672 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Most of Fraser was built recently: 1% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1972. Below: maps from 1929 on and the census since 1900.
The Fraser post office opened in 1860, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1956. Another post office, McPhersonville (1860), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
Fraser was named for a lawyer from Detroit named Alexander J. Frazer.
More historic than 16% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Fraser is more historic than 16% of U.S. towns, #672 of 701 in Michigan. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
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 Fraser’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.
Founding year: the first post office (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 →
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 Fraser’s history is told.
From Wikipedia’s history of Fraser.
The village of Fraser was incorporated by an act of the state legislature in 1894. It was named for a lawyer from Detroit named Alexander J. Frazer. The city of Fraser was established by home rule charter November 7, 1956, and adopted by the electors on December 26, 1956.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention Fraser, cut from the printed page as they were published.
No. 7 Schoolhouse was located on Fraser street, south of the Methodist Chui'ch. No. 12 Schoolhouse was located on Jones street near the jjresent location of the Avery House barns. The school buildings were thought to be pretty good for those times.
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.
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
Born hereJim Sorgi is born here
Born hereChad LaRose is born hereEvery edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Fraser. 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 Fraser.
Between 220 and 15,297 people in every census since 1900.
13 censuses, 1900–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Fraser’s Wikipedia page.
Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.
Fraser had its own post office from 1860 to 1860. Another post office, McPhersonville, opened and closed inside today’s town.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
The Fraser post office opened in 1860, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1956.
Fraser is more historic than 16% of U.S. towns, #672 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.
1% of Fraser’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 12% for a Michigan town; the median home was built in 1972.
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).
From Wikimedia Commons (2), 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.
2024
2005
