On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Park Hills is more historic than 83% of U.S. towns, #33 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 Park Hills’ 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 Park Hills’ 3.5 sits near the middle of its state (58% of Missouri towns have fewer) while its 3 historic buildings outnumber those of 65% 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 (±5.4 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 Park Hills’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The city was formed in an unusual four-way merger that took place in January 1994, in which the cities of Flat River, Elvins, Esther and the village of Rivermines joined to form the new city of Park Hills. The formerly incorporated village of Fairview Acres had previously merged with Flat River on November 8, 1983. The name of the new city was selected by entries submitted to a committee made up of citizens of the four cities. The name Park Hills was submitted by Mildred Lee, a lifelong resident and a former teacher of Flat River. The inspiration came from its hilly terrain in the foothills of the Ozark Mountains and the many parks that surround the area. Park Hills is located 7 miles northwest of Farmington, Missouri and approximately 65 miles south of St. Louis. It is adjacent to St. Joe State Park, and nearby the state parks of St. Francois, Hawn, Elephant Rocks, Johnson's Shut-Ins,…
Park Hills is more historic than 83% of U.S. towns, #33 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 Park Hills?
Two places: the Eugene Field School (listed 2005) and the Howlett Gulf (2019).
How old are the homes in Park Hills?
27% of Park Hills’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.4 points), against a typical 8.4% for a Missouri town; the median home was built in 1969.
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 (4), the National Register of Historic Places (2), 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) 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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