14% of Falcon Heights’ homes were built before 1940
More historic than 80% of U.S. towns · #21 of 273 in Minnesota. What drives it
3 places in town are on the National Register, among them the Washburn A Mill Complex, a National Historic Landmark, and a historic district with 7 buildings. Below: 4 old photos and papers, maps from 1951 on, and the census since 1950.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Falcon Heights is more historic than 80% of U.S. towns, #21 of 273 in Minnesota. All 2 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Falcon Heights’ 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 Falcon Heights’ 23.6 sits above most of its state (86% of Minnesota towns have fewer) while its 12 historic buildings outnumber those of 77% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.4 points).
Founding year: our sources. 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 Falcon Heights’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Heman Gibbs settled in the 1850s near the modern intersection of Cleveland and Larpenteur Avenues. His homestead is on the National Register of Historic Places and his home is a county museum.
On September 2, 1901, then-Vice President Theodore Roosevelt first publicly used the African proverb "Speak softly and carry a big stick" in a speech at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds, which was still a part of St. Paul at the time. Roosevelt became president just two weeks later, upon the assassination of William McKinley, and built the phrase into his concept of Big Stick Diplomacy.
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.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Falcon Heights. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1951St Paul West sheet · 1:24,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Falcon Heights.
Then & now
Stand where they stood
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.
Retake this viewAerial photo from 1920 of modern-day, 1920
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Falcon Heights’ page.
Falcon Heights is more historic than 80% of U.S. towns, #21 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 Falcon Heights?
Three places: the Washburn A Mill Complex (listed 1983), the Heman Gibbs Farmstead (1975) and the Farmers Union Grain Terminal Association Headquarters (2020).
How old are the homes in Falcon Heights?
14% of Falcon Heights’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.4 points), against a typical 8.1% for a Minnesota town; the median home was built in 1960.
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 (12), the National Register of Historic Places (3), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) 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.
★ Landmark
c. 1922
2016
2016
2016
2016
2016
2016
2016
2010
