Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1869.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Milan Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Milan Township is more historic than 73% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Milan 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 Milan 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.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikipedia alone; no second source gives 1831.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B− to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±14.3 points).
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 Milan Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
On the map
Milan Township on the map, 1902 to 1973
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Milan Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1902Ypsilanti 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 Milan Township.
The first settler to the area was John Marvin, who arrived in the spring of 1831 and settled the community under the name "Tolanville", after his son-in-law Henry Tolan. Later, a part of downtown Milan would be named Tolan Square. He built his home and also operated a general store for travelers and other early residents. Other earlier settlers included Bethuel Hack and Harmon Allen, and their families became the area's first permanent residents. The population began to grow, and the first post office was established on March 27, 1833, under the name "Farmersville". The name was changed to Milan on April 21, 1836. The post office has remained in operation ever since and is presently located at 123 East Main Street. The community became part of York Township when it was organized in 1833 in Washtenaw County and Milan Township when it was organized in 1836 in the northwest corner of Monro…
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 Wikipedia’s history of the town. Milan Township’s post office opened in 1869, and the census of 1880 counted 320 people here.
How does Milan Township rank for history?
Milan Township is more historic than 73% 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 Milan Township?
33% of Milan Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±14.3 points), against a typical 12% for a Michigan town; the median home was built in 1958.
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), Wikidata (1), Wikipedia, 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.
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