Inver Grove Heights dates to 1852, and 1 of its places is on the National Register
More historic than 26% of U.S. towns · #186 of 273 in Minnesota. What drives it
Most of Inver Grove Heights was built recently: 2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1990. Its Register listing is the Reuben Freeman House. Below: 3 old photos and papers, maps from 1896 on, and the census since 1860.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1852.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Inver Grove Heights’ History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Inver Grove Heights is more historic than 26% of U.S. towns, #186 of 273 in Minnesota. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
C
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Inver Grove 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 Inver Grove Heights’ 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 1852.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to C. The pre-1940 share (±0.7 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 Inver Grove Heights’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Inver Grove Heights. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1896St Paul sheet · 1:62,500
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Inver Grove Heights.
After the signing of the Treaty of Traverse des Sioux in 1851, settlers from Ireland and Germany quickly staked claims in the rolling countryside west of the Mississippi River. Those of Irish descent farmed the eastern part of the community, while Germans cleared the wooded land to the west for their farms. French and English settlers built their homes along the river. The township of Inver Grove Heights was named after the Irish fishing village of Inver and the German town of Grove. Records show that 240 farms, four churches, and four school districts were founded by 1880. On March 9, 1965, the village of Inver Grove and Inver Grove Township merged to form Inver Grove Heights.
In 1852, according to Wikidata. Inver Grove Heights’ post office opened in 1852, and the census of 1860 counted 646 people here.
How does Inver Grove Heights rank for history?
Inver Grove Heights is more historic than 26% of U.S. towns, #186 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 Inver Grove Heights?
One place: the Reuben Freeman House (listed 1979).
How old are the homes in Inver Grove Heights?
2% of Inver Grove Heights’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), 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 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) 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.
1874
1874
2016
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2008