More historic than 18% of U.S. towns · #228 of 273 in Minnesota. What drives it
Most of Rosemount was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2000. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1957 on, and the census since 1880.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1858.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Rosemount’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Rosemount is more historic than 18% of U.S. towns, #228 of 273 in Minnesota. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Rosemount’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 Rosemount’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (23% of Minnesota towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to C−. The pre-1940 share (±1.0 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1856.
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 Rosemount’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
After the 1851 Treaty of Mendota, which turned the land over to the federal government, the first European settlers began to arrive. In 1853, William Strathern from Scotland was the first to claim land in the area, and in 1854 the Dakota County Board of Commissioners appointed Andrew Keegan as the first postmaster. He named the post office Rosemount after a town in Ireland.
In 1856, according to Wikidata. Rosemount’s post office opened in 1858, and the census of 1880 counted 116 people here.
How does Rosemount rank for history?
Rosemount is more historic than 18% of U.S. towns, #228 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.
How old are the homes in Rosemount?
3% of Rosemount’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.0 points), against a typical 8.1% for a Minnesota town; the median home was built in 2000.
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), 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.
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