New Prague dates to 1856, and 14% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 57% of U.S. towns · #88 of 273 in Minnesota. What drives it
Its Register listings are the Church of St. Wenceslaus-Catholic, the First National Bank and the Hotel Broz. Below: maps from 1957 on and the census since 1880.
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1857.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives New Prague’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, New Prague is more historic than 57% of U.S. towns, #88 of 273 in Minnesota. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of New Prague’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 New Prague’s 6.1 sits above most of its state (67% of Minnesota towns have fewer) while its 5 historic buildings outnumber those of 70% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikipedia alone; no second source gives 1856.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to B+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±6.0 points).
Founding year: Wikipedia (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 New Prague’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
New Prague was laid out in 1856, and named after Prague, the capital of Bohemia (now the Czech Republic). The immigrants from Bohemia built the town of New Prague, and many of them identified as Czechs.
At the advice of Catholic Bishop Rev. Joseph Cretin, Anton Philipp, a native German, first settled within the present limits of New Prague. In 1856 Philipp purchased 160 acres in Helena Township, Scott County. Philipp did not make an official plat of the town but began selling lots that same year, marking the beginning of New Prague. Several Bohemian families came to the area shortly after Philipp arrived.
In 1856, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. New Prague’s post office opened in 1857, and the census of 1880 counted 384 people here.
How does New Prague rank for history?
New Prague is more historic than 57% of U.S. towns, #88 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 New Prague?
Three places: the Church of St. Wenceslaus-Catholic (listed 1982), the First National Bank (1982) and the Hotel Broz (1982).
How old are the homes in New Prague?
14% of New Prague’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.0 points), against a typical 8.1% for a Minnesota town; the median home was built in 1994.
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 (3), 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.
2011
2010
2009
2009
2005
