More historic than 10% of U.S. towns · #233 of 247 in Missouri. What drives it
Most of Camdenton was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1992. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1983 on, and the census since 1940.
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1931.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Camdenton’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Camdenton is more historic than 10% of U.S. towns, #233 of 247 in Missouri. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Camdenton’s overall grade.
Missouri towns list about as much on the Register as the country (a typical Missouri town has 2.4 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Camdenton’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (23% of Missouri 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 is a Census survey estimate (±3.2 points). Two sources give 1930.
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 Camdenton’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Camdenton, the new county seat, had its start in the 1930s, when construction of the Lake of the Ozarks inundated the old county seat of Linn Creek. The city derives its name from Camden County. The name Camdenton was chosen because there were no other cities with that name. A post office called Camdenton has been in operation since 1931.
The city was platted in 1930 by Clint Webb and Jim Banner, under the direction of John T. Woodruff on a 160-acre plot of land at the intersection of U.S. Route 54 and Missouri Route 5. It was originally planned for a map of the streets to look like a wagon wheel.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
In 1930, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Camdenton’s post office opened in 1931, and the census of 1940 counted 893 people here.
How does Camdenton rank for history?
Camdenton is more historic than 10% of U.S. towns, #233 of 247 in Missouri. 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 Camdenton?
4% of Camdenton’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.2 points), against a typical 8.4% for a Missouri town; the median home was built in 1992.
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 (14), 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.
2024
2024
2024
2024
2024
2021
2021
2021
2021
2021
2021
2016
2004
