More historic than 11% of U.S. towns · #232 of 247 in Missouri. What drives it
Most of Osage Beach was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1990. Below: 4 old photos and papers, maps from 1934 on, and the census since 1960.
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1885.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Osage Beach’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Osage Beach is more historic than 11% of U.S. towns, #232 of 247 in Missouri. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Osage Beach’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 Osage Beach’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 (±0.2 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1886.
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 Osage Beach’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The development of Osage Beach is closely linked to the creation of the Lake of the Ozarks. Osage Beach was founded in 1886 as Zebra before being renamed as Osage Beach in 1935. Osage Beach was incorporated in 1959.
Formation of the Lake: In 1931, the Union Electric Company of St. Louis completed the construction of Bagnell Dam on the Osage River, creating the Lake of the Ozarks. The new reservoir quickly became a draw for visitors interested in boating, fishing, and resort recreation.
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 1886, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Osage Beach’s post office opened in 1885, and the census of 1960 counted 741 people here.
How does Osage Beach rank for history?
Osage Beach is more historic than 11% of U.S. towns, #232 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 Osage Beach?
0.0% of Osage Beach’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 8.4% for a Missouri town; the median home was built in 1990.
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 (6), 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.
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