The Yale post office opened in 1889, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Brockway Centre (1865), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
2020 census: 1,903137 years
How historic is Yale?
A−
More historic than 79% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Yale post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Yale’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Yale is more historic than 79% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Yale’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 Yale’s 9.4 sits above most of its state (82% of Michigan towns have fewer) while its 2 historic buildings outnumber those of 60% 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 (±5.7 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
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 →
What stands out about Yale’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Brockway Township received its first post office under the name Brockway Centre on May 11, 1865. The post office name was changed to Yale on June 24, 1889. Yale incorporated as a village in 1895. Yale incorporated as a city in 1905, becoming a separate municipality from Brockway Township. The James McColl House is located in Yale and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
In 2007, the city's electors turned down the formation of a charter commission to write its own charter to replace the 4th Class City Charter.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Places that used to be
Lost post offices, old corners and places now gone
Yale’s post office has been open since 1889. Another post office, Brockway Centre, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Brockway Centre
1865–1889
Yale
1889–today
18601940today
Hamlets and corners on the map
North Hill Mobile Home Village
Gone or out of use
Yale Community HospitalhospitalYale Stationlocale
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Yale’s history
What year was Yale founded?
The Yale post office opened in 1889, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Yale rank for history?
Yale is more historic than 79% 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.
What is on the National Register in Yale?
One place: the James McColl House (listed 1985).
How old are the homes in Yale?
43% of Yale’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.7 points), against a typical 12% for a Michigan town; the median home was built in 1948.
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), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.
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