Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
More historic than 35% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Below: maps from 1945 on and the census since 1930.
The Ravenna post office opened in 1859, the earliest record of the town by name.
More historic than 35% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Ravenna is more historic than 35% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
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 Ravenna’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.
Founding year: the first post office (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 →
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Ravenna’s history is told.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Ravenna yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Ravenna is a village in Muskegon County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,308 at the 2020 census. The village is located in Ravenna Township.
Its first post office opened in 1859. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 1,219 to 1,308 (+7%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Ravenna. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Ravenna.
Grew from 343 people in 1930 to 1,308 in 2020, 3 times over.
10 censuses, 1930–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Ravenna’s Wikipedia page.
Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.
The Ravenna post office opened in 1859, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
Ravenna is more historic than 35% 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.
14% of Ravenna’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.8 points), against a typical 12% for a Michigan town; the median home was built in 1972.
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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 (5), Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps and U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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