Ste. Genevieve dates to 1735, and 17% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 97% of U.S. towns · #5 of 247 in Missouri. What drives it
4 places in town are on the National Register, among them 2 National Historic Landmarks and two historic districts with 653 buildings between them. Below: 5 old photos and papers, maps from 1907 on, and the census since 1850.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Ste. Genevieve is more historic than 97% of U.S. towns, #5 of 247 in Missouri. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
A+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Ste. Genevieve’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 Ste. Genevieve’s 1,309 sits above most of its state (99% of Missouri towns have fewer) while its 656 historic buildings outnumber those of 98% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1735.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A to A+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±5.8 points).
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 Ste. Genevieve’s 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.
On the map
Ste. Genevieve on the map, 1907 to 1993
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Ste. Genevieve. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1907Weingarten sheet · 1:62,500
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Ste. Genevieve.
Founded around 1740 by Canadian settlers and migrants from settlements in the Illinois Country just east of the Mississippi River, Ste. Geneviève is the oldest permanent European settlement in Missouri. It was named for Saint Genevieve (who lived in the 5th century AD), the patron saint of Paris, the capital of France. While most residents were of French-Canadian descent, many of the founding families had been in the Illinois Country for two or three generations. It is one of the oldest colonial settlements west of the Mississippi River.
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 1735, according to Wikidata. Ste. Genevieve’s post office opened in 1805, and the census of 1850 counted 718 people here.
How does Ste. Genevieve rank for history?
Ste. Genevieve is more historic than 97% of U.S. towns, #5 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 Ste. Genevieve?
4 listings, 2 of them National Historic Landmarks: 2 buildings and 2 historic districts, the Ste. Genevieve Historic District and the Ste. Genevieve Historic District, with 653 contributing buildings. 656 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Ste. Genevieve?
17% of Ste. Genevieve’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.8 points), against a typical 8.4% for a Missouri town; the median home was built in 1970.
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 (5), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (4), 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.
★ Landmark
★ Landmark
1930