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History · Minden City

Minden City was first counted by the census in 1880, and 38% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1895 on and the census since 1880.

1880first census
0on the National Register
38%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Minden City began

When was Minden City founded?

1880

Minden City first appears in the census in 1880.

First census: 191 in 18802020 census: 165146 years
Founding year: the first census.

What stands out about Minden City’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Minden City are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 408 in 1900; 165 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Minden City’s homes were built before 1945.Mapped building by building3 fire insurance maps, 1895 to 1909, drew every building in Minden City.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Minden City’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Minden City’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Minden City, census by census

010020030040018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 408

Peaked at 408 in 1900; 165 people lived here in 2020.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

The story so far

Minden City, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Minden City yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Minden City is a village in Sanilac County of the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 165 at the 2020 census. The village is located within Minden Township. It has possessed a post office since 1862 (named Minden until 1883).

Its first post office opened in 1880. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 197 to 165 (-16%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

By decade

Minden City, decade by decade

Today1 recent
MIMap-doton-MindenCity2005MIMap-doton-MindenCity
On the map

Minden City on the map, 1963 to 1984

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

Minden City on the 1963 USGS mapMinden City on the 1984 USGS map1963Minden City 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 Minden City.

Every building

Minden City, building by building, 1895–1909

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.

Minden City fire insurance map, 1895, sheet 11895Sheet 1 of 1
Edition
Sheets
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Questions about Minden City’s history

What year was Minden City founded?

The Minden City post office opened in 1880, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

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). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (1), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.