The Ely post office opened in 1888, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Florence (1887), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
First census: 901 in 18902020 census: 3,268138 years
How historic is Ely?
A−
More historic than 84% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Ely post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Ely’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Ely is more historic than 84% of U.S. towns, #11 of 273 in Minnesota. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Ely’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 Ely’s 24.7 sits above most of its state (87% of Minnesota towns have fewer) while its 8 historic buildings outnumber those of 74% 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 (±7.9 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 Ely’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first Europeans to explore the area were fur traders who made their way into the wilderness in search of furs. But it was the Lake Vermillion gold rush that brought the first large numbers of pioneers to the area in 1865. Although hardly any gold was ever found, it was discovered that the area did contain large deposits of iron ore. Thousands of new immigrants were arriving in America at that time, and many of them came to the area later known as the Minnesota Iron Range, looking for work.
Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds
Ely’s post office has been open since 1888. Another post office, Florence, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Florence
1887–1888
Ely
1888–today
18801950today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Northern Terrace Mobile Home Park
Gone or out of use
Ely StationlocalePioneer Minemine
1cemetery inside Ely
Ely
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Ely’s history
What year was Ely founded?
The Ely post office opened in 1888, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Ely rank for history?
Ely is more historic than 84% of U.S. towns, #11 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 Ely?
5 listings: 4 buildings and 1 historic district, the Pioneer Mine Buildings and A Headframe, with 4 contributing buildings. 8 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Ely?
48% of Ely’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.9 points), against a typical 8.1% for a Minnesota town; the median home was built in 1942.
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 (5), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (5), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.
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