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History · Sterling

Sterling’s post office opened in 1883, and 28% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1968 on and the census since 1930.

1883first post office
0on the National Register
28%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Sterling began

When was Sterling founded?

1883

The Sterling post office opened in 1883, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 279 in 19302020 census: 474143 years
Founding year: the first Sterling post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Sterling’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Sterling are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Sterling’s homes were built before 1954.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Sterling’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Sterling’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story so far

Sterling, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Sterling yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Sterling is a village in Arenac County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 474 at the 2020 census. The village is located within Deep River Township.

Its first post office opened in 1883. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 530 to 474 (-11%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
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On the map

Sterling on the map, 1968 to 1983

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Sterling. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Sterling on the 1968 USGS mapSterling on the 1983 USGS map1968Sterling 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 Sterling.

People over time

Sterling, census by census

010020030040050019401960198020002020Peak: 533

Between 279 and 533 people in every census since 1930.

10 censuses, 1930–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Sterling’s Wikipedia page.

Questions about Sterling’s history

What year was Sterling founded?

The Sterling post office opened in 1883, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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Sources

Where this page comes from

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). How TownRatings grades history →

From 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.