Negaunee dates to 1858, and 41% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 86% of U.S. towns · #91 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
5 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 53 buildings. Below: 6 old photos and papers, maps from 1884 on, and the census since 1870.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1858.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Negaunee’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Negaunee is more historic than 86% of U.S. towns, #91 of 701 in Michigan. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Negaunee’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 Negaunee’s 120 sits above most of its state (95% of Michigan towns have fewer) while its 56 historic buildings outnumber those of 86% of U.S. towns.
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 (±6.9 points). Two sources give 1858.
Founding year: Wikidata (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 Negaunee’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
People over time
Negaunee, census by census
Peaked at 8,460 in 1910; 4,627 people lived here in 2020.
16 censuses, 1870–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Negaunee’s Wikipedia page.
Every building
Negaunee, building by building, 1884–1911
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.
The city was built after the discovery of the Marquette Iron Range during the early 19th century. The Jackson Mine was established in 1845 to mine the ore for shipment to iron forges; the first such forge to operate in the Lake Superior basin was set up in Negaunee during this period. In 1858, the community was given a post office. In 1865, Negaunee was incorporated as a village and reincorporated as a city in 1873. As mining operations expanded, many immigrants helped settle the area, bringing with them rich traditions that remain today. Due to extensive underground mining, roughly half the city was abandoned in the early 20th century due to risk of cave-in. The city closed its trolley system in 1927. The Jackson Mine ceased all operations within the city limits in the 1940s.
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 1858, according to Wikidata. Negaunee’s post office opened in 1858, and the census of 1870 counted 2,559 people here.
How does Negaunee rank for history?
Negaunee is more historic than 86% of U.S. towns, #91 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 Negaunee?
5 listings: 3 buildings, 1 historic district, the Negaunee Downtown Historic District, with 53 contributing buildings, and 1 site. 56 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Negaunee?
41% of Negaunee’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.9 points), against a typical 12% for a Michigan town; the median home was built in 1952.
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 (3), the Library of Congress (3), the National Register of Historic Places (5), 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 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.
1860
1867
1867
