Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
More historic than 32% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Below: maps from 1892 on and the census since 1870.
Lathrop dates its founding to 1867 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history agree). The census first counted it in 1870.
Lathrop was named for John L. Lathrop, treasurer for the railroad.
More historic than 32% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Lathrop is more historic than 32% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
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 Lathrop’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.
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 →
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 Lathrop’s history is told.
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
1892Sheet 1 of 1Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
From Wikipedia’s history of Lathrop.
Lathrop was platted in 1867 as a stop on the Cameron Cutoff Branch of the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad. It was named for John L. Lathrop, treasurer for the railroad. A post office called Lathrop has been in operation since 1868.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention Lathrop, cut from the printed page as they were published.
and St. Joseph Railroad, in November, 1867, he came to Lathrop ar.-l opened a lumber yard, and was the first settler in the town. (See History of Lathrop.) He has been engaged in many enterprises here, a!!
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
8th of September, 1836, and reached Clay County, Missouri, October 15, following. He continued to reside there till the spring of 1849, when he mo\ed to a locality in Clinton Count}-, within two and a halt miles of what is now the town of Lathrop, \\\ere he owned a farm of 1. 1 20 acres. He continued to farm there, on a large scale, for the period of seven years. In 1S56, he moved to Hainesville, in Jackson Township, where, in partnership with James P. Gee, he opened the large-t stock of goods ever offered for sale in the place. They continued t'>
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.
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 Lathrop. 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 Lathrop.
Grew from 523 people in 1870 to 2,271 in 2020, 4 times over.
16 censuses, 1870–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Lathrop’s Wikipedia page.
Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.
In 1867, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Lathrop’s post office opened in 1868, and the census of 1870 counted 523 people here.
Lathrop is more historic than 32% 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.
13% of Lathrop’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.9 points), against a typical 8.4% for a Missouri town; the median home was built in 1978.
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).
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, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) 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.
