43% of Richmond Heights’ homes were built before 1940
Among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns · #2 of 247 in Missouri. What drives it
4 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 95 buildings between them. Below: 8 old photos and papers, maps from 1933 on, and the census since 1920.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Richmond Heights is among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns, #2 of 247 in Missouri. All 2 inputs put Richmond Heights near the top nationally; its share of homes from before 1940 ranks highest.
A+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Richmond Heights’ 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 Richmond Heights’ 106 sits above most of its state (92% of Missouri towns have fewer) while its 97 historic buildings outnumber those of 89% 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 (±4.1 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 Richmond Heights’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
People over time
Richmond Heights, census by census
Peaked at 15,622 in 1960; 9,286 people lived here in 2020.
11 censuses, 1920–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Richmond Heights’ Wikipedia page.
The story so far
Richmond Heights, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Richmond Heights yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Richmond Heights is a city in St. Louis County, Missouri. It is an inner-ring suburb of St. Louis, Missouri, United States. The United States census shows the population grew from 8,603 in 2010 to 9,286 in 2020. According to Robert L. Ramsay, the name was suggested by Robert E. Lee, who thought the topography of the area resembled Richmond, Virginia.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 8,603 to 9,286 (+8%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Richmond Heights, 1850 to 1960
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
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.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Richmond Heights. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1933Clayton sheet · 1:24,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Richmond Heights.
Then & now
Stand where they stood
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.
Retake this view1940 Census Enumeration District Descriptions - Missouri - St. Louis County - ED 95-156, ED 95-157A, ED 95-157B, ED 95-…, 1850
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Richmond Heights’ page.
Richmond Heights is among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns, #2 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 Richmond Heights?
4 listings: 2 buildings, among them the Dr. Samuel A. Bassett Office and Residence (listed 1993, the first), and 2 historic districts, the Hampton Park and the Bennett Avenue Historic District, with 95 contributing buildings. 97 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Richmond Heights?
43% of Richmond Heights’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.1 points), against a typical 8.4% for a Missouri town; the median home was built in 1947.
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 (4), Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.
1850
1850
1850
1850
1850
1880
2010
2010
2010
2004
