Raytown dates to 1849, and 1 of its places is on the National Register
More historic than 52% of U.S. towns · #114 of 247 in Missouri. What drives it
Most of Raytown was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1962. Its Register listing is the Rice-Tremonti House. Below: maps from 1934 on and the census since 1960.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1851.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Raytown’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Raytown is more historic than 52% of U.S. towns, #114 of 247 in Missouri. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Raytown’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 Raytown’s 0.7 sits near the middle of its state (47% of Missouri towns have fewer) while its 2 historic buildings outnumber those of 60% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B+. The pre-1940 share (±1.3 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1849.
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 Raytown’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The area where Raytown now lies was developed throughout the 19th century and early 20th century as pioneers moved westward along the Three Trails in search of available fertile lands and water. It was added to the state of Missouri at a cost of $800 by a treaty signed in 1826. Jackson County, named after President Andrew Jackson, was formed in 1827.
A large section of the county, Township 49, was accidentally not offered for sale when the other townships were, and so was called "The Lost Township". People moved into the township and squatted until the township was surveyed and the land sold in 1843.
Passages that mention Raytown, cut from the printed page as they were published.
The History of Jackson county, Missouri, containing a history of the county, its cities, towns, etc., biographical sketches of its citizens, Jackson county in the late war... history of Missouri, map of Jackson county ..1881 · page 368Read the page →
Read the text
Brooking township has two villagee — Raytown and Little Blue. Raytown occupies a central location in what is called the " Blue Prairie" — being on the ridge between Big and Little Blue, eight miles from Independence and ten from Kansas City. It has a Masonic hall, one meeting house, one store and saddler's shop, one blacksmith shop and a doctor's office, also a post-office and school house. Little Blue is on the Mo. P. R. R.; has one store, a school house; is a " station; " has a telegraph office, and several other houses.
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.
In 1849, according to Wikidata. Raytown’s post office opened in 1851, and the census of 1960 counted 17,083 people here.
How does Raytown rank for history?
Raytown is more historic than 52% of U.S. towns, #114 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 Raytown?
One place: the Rice-Tremonti House (listed 1979).
How old are the homes in Raytown?
3% of Raytown’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.3 points), against a typical 8.4% for a Missouri town; the median home was built in 1962.
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 (1), 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 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.
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