Pleasant Ridge dates to 1913, and 72% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 82% of U.S. towns · #127 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
2 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 998 buildings between them. Below: maps from 1905 on and the census since 1920.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Pleasant Ridge is more historic than 82% of U.S. towns, #127 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 Pleasant Ridge’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 Pleasant Ridge’s 3,836 sits above most of its state (100% of Michigan towns have fewer) while its 998 historic buildings outnumber those of 99% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1913.
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 (±5.4 points).
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 Pleasant Ridge’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Pleasant Ridge began when Burt Taylor subdivided the Mayday farm in 1913. The community incorporated as a village within Royal Oak Township in 1921 and again as an autonomous city in 1927. The origin of the name is believed to derive from the main thoroughfare of Ridge Road.
One of the more notable establishments within the city was Hedge's Wigwam, which was a Native American-themed restaurant that operated from 1927 until 1967.
Pleasant Ridge was actively involved in resisting the construction of the middle segment of Interstate 696 in the early 1960s.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Pleasant Ridge. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1905Detroit 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 Pleasant Ridge.
People over time
Pleasant Ridge, census by census
Peaked at 3,989 in 1970; 2,627 people lived here in 2020.
11 censuses, 1920–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Pleasant Ridge’s Wikipedia page.
Stories next door
History across the town line
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
In 1913, according to Wikidata. the census of 1920 counted 472 people here.
How does Pleasant Ridge rank for history?
Pleasant Ridge is more historic than 82% of U.S. towns, #127 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 Pleasant Ridge?
Two places: the Pleasant Ridge Historic District (listed 1992) and the Pleasant Ridge East Historic District (2007).
How old are the homes in Pleasant Ridge?
72% of Pleasant Ridge’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.4 points), against a typical 12% for a Michigan town; the median home was built in 1938.
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 (1), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) 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.
2017
