On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Moffatt Township is more historic than 10% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
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HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Moffatt 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 Moffatt 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.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share (±0.7 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: our sources. 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 Moffatt Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Moffatt Township was organized in 1874, at the time part of Bay County. The community of Alger was named after Russell A. Alger almost a decade later. In 1882 to 1883, the area of Alger was created from the formation of a railroad junction along the Michigan Central Railroad. This junction came from the now defunct Bay City and Alpena Railroad out of Prescott, Michigan. It was constructed under the direction of Russell Alger, who later became the 20th governor of Michigan, and then the U.S. Secretary of War. The railroads were thriving mainly due to Michigan's lumbering boom at the time, and Alger grew to be a popular settlement with many mills, restaurants, and saloons. Two small towns named Culver and Wells existed nearby. Culver was located about a mile north, and Wells was about a mile south of downtown Alger.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Moffatt Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1968Sterling 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 Moffatt Township.
Famous people
Famous people close to Moffatt Township
Nobody well known was born in Moffatt Township itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
Moffatt Township is more historic than 10% 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 Moffatt Township?
0.9% of Moffatt Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 12% for a Michigan town; the median home was built in 1990.
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 Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.
