Most of Stanford Township was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1987. Below: maps from 1916 on and the census since 1870.
The Stanford Township post office opened in 1886, the earliest record of the town by name. Two smaller post offices, Stanford (1886) and Crown (1890), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 215 in 18702020 census: 2,299140 years
How historic is Stanford Township?
C−
More historic than 22% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Stanford Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Stanford Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Stanford Township is more historic than 22% of U.S. towns. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Stanford Township’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 Stanford Township’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 C− to C. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.4 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (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 Stanford Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Stanford had a post office from circa 1898 to 1901, a sawmill on the creek that lay about a mile south of the town, and a school on a site of 0.5 acres (2,000 m2) directly across from the post office. The school existed from approximately 1890 until 1945, when it was converted into a private residence. The school was burned because it was in vast disrepair in 1995, and was replaced with a new home. This community was settled by primarily English settlers from the Eastern United States, although Germans and Scandinavians followed. The town was never more than a farming community or crossroads community- the last remnant was the country school.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Stanford Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1916St Francis 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 Stanford Township.
Famous people
Famous people close to Stanford Township
Nobody well known was born in Stanford Township itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
The Stanford Township post office opened in 1886, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Stanford Township rank for history?
Stanford Township is more historic than 22% of U.S. towns. 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 Stanford Township?
6% of Stanford Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.4 points), against a typical 8.1% for a Minnesota town; the median home was built in 1987.
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 Wikipedia, 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.
