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–Not graded
History · Hoffman

Hoffman’s post office opened in 1887, and 18% of its homes were built before 1940

1887first post office
0on the National Register
18%homes built before 1940
1famous people
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Photo: afiler from Seattle (ex-Minneapolis) · CC BY-SA 2.0
Quick answers

How Hoffman began

When was Hoffman founded?

1887

The Hoffman post office opened in 1887, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Wanborg (1883), opened inside today’s city and later closed.

2020 census: 698139 years
Founding year: the first Hoffman post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Hoffman’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Hoffman are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Hoffman’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Hoffman’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story

How Hoffman came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Hoffman.

Read it all →

Hoffman was platted in 1887, and named for Robert C. Hoffman, a railroad official. A post office has been in operation at Hoffman since 1887.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Hoffman, 1883 to 1943

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1883Post officeThe Wanborg post office opens
  3. 1887Post officeThe Wanborg post office closes
  4. 1887Post officeThe Hoffman post office opens
  5. 20th century
  6. 1943Born hereStu Starner is born here
By decade

Hoffman, decade by decade

Today2 recent
Hoffman, Minnesota2006Hoffman, MinnesotaMNMap-doton-Hoffman2005MNMap-doton-Hoffman
Places that used to be

Lost post offices and burying grounds

Hoffman’s post office has been open since 1887. Another post office, Wanborg, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Wanborg
1883–1887
Hoffman
1887–today
18801950today
1cemetery inside Hoffman
Bethel

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.

Land TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Hoffman’s history

What year was Hoffman founded?

The Hoffman post office opened in 1887, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

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 Wikimedia Commons (2), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.