Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Below: maps from 1951 on and the census since 1880.
Alma dates its founding to 1878 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1880.
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Alma’s history is told.
From Wikipedia’s history of Alma.
Alma was laid out in 1879 when the railroad was extended to that point.
A post office called Alma has been in operation since 1879. The community has the name of Alma Woodson, the daughter of one of the founders.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention Alma, cut from the printed page as they were published.
In 1895 the church northwest of Alma no longer gave satisfaction. A new house of worship was therefore built in the town of Alma at a cost of fifteen thousand dollars. Friends of the movement presented two blocks of town lots for the purpose. When Mr. Topel resigned as teacher of the south school, in 1900, the school was moved to one of the congregation's lots in town. E. Wendt, the present teacher of this school, took charge in September. 1907.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
They elected the Rev. J. F. Biltz, of Concordia, their pastor, and he gave "them the use of the time he could spare from his work in Concordia. Their services were at first held in the Hazel Knob district school house, then situated on the Salt Fork creek, one and one-half miles northwest of Alma. In 1877 a piece of ground, comprising four acres, northwest of Alma, was bought, and a house built which, for a time, served as school and as church.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The town of Alma was founded by Captain Lysing and Jno. W. Woodson, on completion of the C. & A. Extension railroad in 1879, and incorporated in 1880. The first mayor was Dr. Thomas Field. The postoffice was established in 1879, the first postmaster being Perry Catron. Dr.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Born hereOscar Horstmann is born here
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological SurveyWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Alma. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Alma.
Between 53 and 446 people in every census since 1880.
15 censuses, 1880–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Alma’s Wikipedia page.
Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.
In 1878, according to Wikidata. Alma’s post office opened in 1879, and the census of 1880 counted 53 people here.
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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). How TownRatings grades history →
From 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), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
