Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
More historic than 29% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Below: old-book passages.
The Avon post office opened in 1873, the earliest record of the town by name.
More historic than 29% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Avon is more historic than 29% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
Minnesota towns list about as much on the Register as the country (a typical Minnesota town has 2.1 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Avon’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (23% of Minnesota 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 Avon’s history is told.
From Wikipedia’s history of Avon.
Avon was laid out in 1873 and founded after the foundation of St.Cloud . The community is named after the River Avon, in England. A post office has been in operation at Avon since 1873. Avon was incorporated in 1900.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention Avon, cut from the printed page as they were published.
gressional township 125, range 30, it was detached from the townships of Munson and Brockway and attached to the township of Avon, by order of the board of county commissioners at a meeting held May 16, 1866. The following day congressional townships 125, ranges 34 and 35, were taken from the township of Sauk Centre and the new township of Getty was erected, a meeting for organization to be held April 3 at Jacob Hurley's house.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
AVON VILLAGE The village of Avon is situated on the beautiful Spunk Lakes in Sections 27 and 28 of township 125, range 30. It is an elegant place for summer resorts; having many lakes and excellent railroad facilities and not too far from the large cities of the state. It was incorporated in Feb-
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Avon’s post office has been open since 1873.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
The Avon post office opened in 1873, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
Avon is more historic than 29% 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.
11% of Avon’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.7 points), against a typical 8.1% for a Minnesota town; the median home was built in 1983.
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 (4), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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