Oshtemo Township dates to 1839, and 4 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 60% of U.S. towns · #283 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Most of Oshtemo Township was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1989. Below: 2 old photos and papers and maps from 1916 on.
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1857.
History grade
What drives Oshtemo Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Oshtemo Township is more historic than 60% of U.S. towns, #283 of 701 in Michigan. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Oshtemo 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 Oshtemo Township’s 2.1 sits above most of its state (69% of Michigan towns have fewer) while its 5 historic buildings outnumber those of 70% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to A−. The pre-1940 share (±1.5 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1839.
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 Oshtemo Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.
Hamlets and corners on the map
Colonial Manor Mobile Home ParkDoughertys CornersFountain Springs Mobile Home ParkHuntington Run Mobile Home ParkOshtemoWoodland Estates Mobile Home Park
3cemeteries and burying grounds inside Oshtemo Township
Genessee PrairieHillWest Oshtemo
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
On the map
Oshtemo Township on the map, 1916 to 1973
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Oshtemo Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1916Kalamazoo 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 Oshtemo Township.
The story so far
Oshtemo Township, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Oshtemo Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Oshtemo Charter Township is a charter township of Kalamazoo County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The 2020 census recorded a population of 23,747, up from 21,705 at the 2010 census. The township was organized in 1839.
Oshtemo Township was established in 1839. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 21,705 to 23,747 (+9%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Oshtemo Township, 1839 to 1928
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 1839, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Oshtemo Township’s post office opened in 1857.
How does Oshtemo Township rank for history?
Oshtemo Township is more historic than 60% of U.S. towns, #283 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 Oshtemo Township?
4 listings: 4 buildings, among them the Silas W. Kendall House (listed 1990, the first). 5 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Oshtemo Township?
3% of Oshtemo Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.5 points), against a typical 12% for a Michigan town; the median home was built in 1989.
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 (2), the Library of Congress (1), Wikidata (4), the National Register of Historic Places (4), 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.
Date?
2023
