More historic than 36% of U.S. towns · #506 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Most of Ypsilanti Township was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1976. Below: 4 old photos and papers, maps from 1902 on, and the census since 1860.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1826.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Ypsilanti Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Ypsilanti Township is more historic than 36% of U.S. towns, #506 of 701 in Michigan. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Ypsilanti 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 Ypsilanti Township’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.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to B−. The pre-1940 share (±0.6 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1823.
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 Ypsilanti 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
EastlawnElmcrest Mobile VillageFord Boulevard Mobile Home ParkKingsley Mobile ParkLakeview Mobile Home ParkRawsonvilleSwan Creek Mobile Home CommunityVillage Estates Mobile Home ParkWillow RunWillow Run Mobile Home ParkYpsilanti Mobile Home Village
6cemeteries and burying grounds inside Ypsilanti Township
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
On the map
Ypsilanti Township on the map, 1902 to 1996
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Ypsilanti Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1902Ypsilanti 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 Ypsilanti Township.
Originally a trading post established in 1809 by a French-Canadian fur trader from Montreal, a permanent settlement was established on the east side of the Huron River in 1823 by Major Thomas Woodruff. It was incorporated into the Territory of Michigan as the village Woodruff's Grove. A separate community a short distance away on the west side of the river was established in 1825 under the name "Ypsilanti", after Demetrios Ypsilantis, a hero in the Greek War of Independence. Woodruff's Grove changed its name to Ypsilanti in 1829, the year its namesake effectively won the war for Greek Independence at the Battle of Petra, with the two communities eventually merging. A bust of Demetrios Ypsilantis by Greek sculptor Christopher Nastos stands between a Greek and a US flag at the base of the landmark Ypsilanti Water Tower.
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 1823, according to Wikidata. Ypsilanti Township’s post office opened in 1826, and the census of 1860 counted 3,955 people here.
How does Ypsilanti Township rank for history?
Ypsilanti Township is more historic than 36% of U.S. towns, #506 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.
How old are the homes in Ypsilanti Township?
3% of Ypsilanti Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 12% for a Michigan town; the median home was built in 1976.
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 (3), the Library of Congress (1), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), 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.
1878
1878