Elko New Market dates to 2006, and 1 of its places is on the National Register
More historic than 16% of U.S. towns · #243 of 273 in Minnesota. What drives it
Most of Elko New Market was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2005. Its Register listing is the New Market Hotel and Store. Below: maps from 1957 on and the census since 2000.
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1867.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Elko New Market’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Elko New Market is more historic than 16% of U.S. towns, #243 of 273 in Minnesota. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Elko New Market’s overall grade.
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 Elko New Market’s 2.0 sits near the middle of its state (54% of Minnesota towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikipedia alone; no second source gives 2006.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to C. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.5 points).
Founding year: Wikipedia (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 Elko New Market’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Elko was initially a railway village in 1858. New Market was named for the town near Cambridge, England, though it was first named Jackson until its establishment about the same time. Both Elko and New Market were common town names of the era according to the Minnesota Historical Society.
On March 21, 2006, both the cities of Elko and New Market passed a referendum to merge. The new city was named Elko New Market with the merger taking effect on January 1, 2007.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Elko New Market. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1957Prior Lake 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 Elko New Market.
On the National Register
1 historic place in Elko New Market
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.
New Market
1867–today
Elko
1907–today
18601940today
Hamlets and corners on the map
ElkoNew Market
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Elko New Market’s history
What year was Elko New Market founded?
In 2006, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Elko New Market’s post office opened in 1867, and the census of 2000 counted 3,972 people here.
How does Elko New Market rank for history?
Elko New Market is more historic than 16% of U.S. towns, #243 of 273 in Minnesota. 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 Elko New Market?
One place: the New Market Hotel and Store (listed 1980).
How old are the homes in Elko New Market?
3% of Elko New Market’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.5 points), against a typical 8.1% for a Minnesota town; the median home was built in 2005.
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 the National Register of Historic Places (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.
