Fridley dates to 1847, and 1 of its places is on the National Register
More historic than 47% of U.S. towns · #115 of 273 in Minnesota. What drives it
Most of Fridley was built recently: 2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1968. Its Register listing is the Banfill Tavern. Below: 3 old photos and papers, maps from 1902 on, and the census since 1950.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1852.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Fridley’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Fridley is more historic than 47% of U.S. towns, #115 of 273 in Minnesota. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Fridley’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 Fridley’s 0.3 sits near the middle of its state (48% of Minnesota towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1847.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B+. The pre-1940 share (±0.9 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: Wikidata (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 Fridley’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Fridley's post-European/American settlement history began with the construction of the Red River Trails Woods trail for the Red River ox carts in 1844. The trail traveled through Minnesota Territory from St. Paul to Pembina in present-day North Dakota. It was used to transport furs to the south and other supplies to Red River Valley settlers in the north. The East River Road (Anoka County Highway 1) follows this route today within Fridley, from the border with Minneapolis to the border with Coon Rapids.
Passages that mention Fridley, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Anoka County and the towns of Champlin and Dayton in Hennepin County, Minnesota1905 · page 266Read the page →
Read the text
came to America and to MinneapoHs in 1881. He first found employment on a dairy farm, and for a short time in 1884 worked in Canada for the Canadian ' Pacific Railroad Co. Returning to Minnesota, he purchased a dairy in the town of Fridley, which CHARLES A. NELSON. he has conducted for eighteen years. He has been president of the Minneapolis Dairymen's Union several years, and was also treasurer of the Minneapolis Dairymen's Creamery. In
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Anoka County and the towns of Champlin and Dayton in Hennepin County, Minnesota1905 · page 164Read the page →
Read the text
The bill passed by both houses embraced, in addition to the territory comprising the present town of Fridley, the town of Mound View, both taken from Ramsey county ; but by skulduggery, presumably by a Ramsey county politician. Mound View was omitted in the enrollment of the bill presented to the Governor (an uncle of mine), who approved it without discovering the emasculation. Of course, a county of so small an area and sparsely populated was unable to maintain an organ-
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.
By decade
Fridley, decade by decade
2 decades in the archive, from the 1840s to the 1940s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
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.
In 1847, according to Wikidata. Fridley’s post office opened in 1852, and the census of 1950 counted 3,796 people here.
How does Fridley rank for history?
Fridley is more historic than 47% of U.S. towns, #115 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 Fridley?
One place: the Banfill Tavern (listed 1976).
How old are the homes in Fridley?
2% of Fridley’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 8.1% for a Minnesota town; the median home was built in 1968.
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 (6), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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), 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.
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