More historic than 76% of U.S. towns · #53 of 247 in Missouri. What drives it
2 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 3 buildings. Below: 3 old photos and papers, maps from 1933 on, and the census since 1950.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Jennings is more historic than 76% of U.S. towns, #53 of 247 in Missouri. All 2 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its share of homes from before 1940 ranks highest and its National Register listings lowest.
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HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Jennings’ 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 Jennings’ 3.1 sits near the middle of its state (56% of Missouri towns have fewer) while its 4 historic buildings outnumber those of 68% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±5.0 points).
Founding year: our sources. 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 Jennings’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The city was named after James Jennings, a farmer and merchant who moved to the area from Virginia with his family and retinue of slaves in 1839. In 1855, a railway was constructed which bisected the original Jennings property. Apparently the first commercial concern originating in the area was the Seed Dry Plate Company in 1883, which left for Rochester, New York around 1911 after its purchase by Eastman Kodak. The city benefited from the economic boom following World War II and was incorporated (with state and county administrations) in 1946.
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.
Jennings is more historic than 76% of U.S. towns, #53 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.
What is on the National Register in Jennings?
Two places: the Norwood Hills Country Club (listed 2005) and the Seed, Miles A., Carriage House (1987).
How old are the homes in Jennings?
20% of Jennings’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.0 points), against a typical 8.4% for a Missouri town; the median home was built in 1955.
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 (12), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) 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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