Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Below: maps from 1967 on and the census since 1930.
Florence dates its founding to 1888 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1930.
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 Florence’s history is told.
From Wikipedia’s history of Florence.
Florence was platted in 1888, and named for Florence Sherman, the daughter of a first settler. A post office was in operation at Florence in 1889.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Peaked at 149 in 1940; 28 people lived here in 2020.
10 censuses, 1930–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Florence’s Wikipedia page.
Passages that mention Florence, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Like the other villages of Lyon county on the Great Northern railroad, Florence was founded in 1888. The site for the station was selected in November of the year before,9 and in May, 1888, it was announced that the new station would be named Florence. The name was bestowed in honor of Florence
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
and he sold the north half of his homestead to the railroad company for a townsite and that is where the present village of Florence is located. Later Mr. Sanden purchased his father's homestead, the northeast quarter of section 20 and the south half of the northwest quarter of section 21, making him the owner of 320
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.
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological SurveyWeddings 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 Florence. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Florence.
Florence had its own post office from 1889 to 1992.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
In 1888, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Florence’s post office opened in 1889, and the census of 1930 counted 108 people here.
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). How TownRatings grades history →
From Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), 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.
