The Farming Township post office opened in 1883, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Farming (1883), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
2020 census: 982143 years
How historic is Farming Township?
C+
More historic than 38% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Farming Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).
History grade
What drives Farming Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Farming Township is more historic than 38% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Farming Township’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 Farming Township’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.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to B−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±9.5 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 Farming Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Farming Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Farming is an unincorporated community in Farming Township, Stearns County, Minnesota, United States. The community is located near the junction of Stearns County Roads 23, 41, and 42. Nearby places include Albany, Richmond, and St. Martin.
Its first post office opened in 1883. Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 987 in 2010, 982 in 2020.
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Farming Township, 1883 to 1965
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Farming Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1965Farming 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 Farming Township.
Places that used to be
Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds
Another post office, Farming, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Hamlets and corners on the map
Farming
Gone or out of use
Farming Post Officepost office
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Farming Township
Immanuel Lutheran ChurchSaint Catherine's
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Stories next door
History across the town line
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
The Farming Township post office opened in 1883, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Farming Township rank for history?
Farming Township is more historic than 38% 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.
How old are the homes in Farming Township?
19% of Farming Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±9.5 points), against a typical 8.1% for a Minnesota town; the median home was built in 1990.
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 Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.
