Milan dates to 1831, and 21% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 91% of U.S. towns · #57 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
2 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 36 buildings. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1902 on, and the census since 1880.
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1836.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Milan’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Milan is more historic than 91% of U.S. towns, #57 of 701 in Michigan. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Milan’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’s 68.5 sits above most of its state (92% of Michigan towns have fewer) while its 41 historic buildings outnumber those of 84% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.7 points). Two sources give 1831.
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’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
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…
Passages that mention Milan, cut from the printed page as they were published.
A history of painting in north Italy1871 · page 629Read the page →
Read the text
281; his companionship with Buttinone, II. 34—36; his Madonna at the Ambrosiana of Milan, 36; annunciation at Milan, frescos at S. Francesco of Brescia and in the Grazie at Milan, friendship with da Vinci, and influence of that master, 37; frescos of the
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
A history of painting in north Italy1871 · page 90Read the page →
Read the text
The same handling in a panel at Milan might lead us to assign to this piece the date of 1476, but we cannot do so with any certainty; and we regret this the more as it purports to represent Antonello himself and is said to have once borne an inscription to that effect.1 The portrait at Milan is in the Casa Trivulzi and once formed part of the Hinuccini collection. It is a highly finished and most precisely outlined bust of a man of sixty in a black cap and
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
Milan, 1831 to 1957
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
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’s post office opened in 1836, and the census of 1880 counted 320 people here.
How does Milan rank for history?
Milan is more historic than 91% of U.S. towns, #57 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 Milan?
Two places: the Friend-Hack House (listed 1991) and the Main Street Historic District (1999).
How old are the homes in Milan?
21% of Milan’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.7 points), against a typical 12% for a Michigan town; the median home was built in 1969.
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 (22), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (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.
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