Le Center first appears in the census in 1880. Two smaller post offices, Le Sueur Centre (1877) and Le Sueur Center (1893), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
First census: 73 in 18802020 census: 2,517146 years
How historic is Le Center?
B+
More historic than 68% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Le Center is more historic than 68% of U.S. towns, #49 of 273 in Minnesota. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Le Center’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 Le Center’s 8.0 sits above most of its state (72% of Minnesota towns have fewer) while its 2 historic buildings outnumber those of 60% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B− to A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±7.0 points).
Founding year: the first census (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 Le Center’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Le Center’s post office has been open since 1931. Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
Le Sueur Centre
1877–1893
Le Sueur Center
1893–1931
Le Center
1931–today
18701950today
Gone or out of use
Le Centerlocale
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
The story so far
Le Center, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Le Center yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Le Center is a city and the county seat of Le Sueur County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 2,517 at the 2020 census. The Le Sueur County Courthouse and Jail are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Its first post office opened in 1880. Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 2,499 in 2010, 2,517 in 2020.
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Le Center, 1877 to 1998
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
The Le Center post office opened in 1880, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Le Center rank for history?
Le Center is more historic than 68% of U.S. towns, #49 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 Le Center?
One place: the Le Sueur County Courthouse and Jail (listed 1981).
How old are the homes in Le Center?
26% of Le Center’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.0 points), against a typical 8.1% for a Minnesota town; the median home was built in 1964.
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 (5), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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.
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