Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
More historic than 55% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Its Register listings are the Foster County Courthouse, the US Post Office-Carrington and the Thomas Nichols Putnam House. Below: 12 old photos and papers, maps from 1884 on, and the census since 1910.
Carrington dates its founding to 1882 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1910.
More historic than 55% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Carrington is more historic than 55% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
North Dakota towns list about as much on the Register as the country (a typical North Dakota town has 2.8 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Carrington’s 18.5 sits above most of its state (72% of North Dakota towns have fewer) while its 4 historic buildings outnumber those of 68% of U.S. towns.
Founding year: Wikipedia (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 →
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
1884Sheet 1 of 1Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
One decade in the archive so far: the 1900s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
From Wikipedia’s history of Carrington.
Carrington was platted in 1882 by Miles D. Carrington and named for him. Carrington has been the county seat since 1883. A post office has been in operation at Carrington since 1883.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
In the archiveCarrington High School
Born hereLarry Woiwode is born here
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
Born hereJim Kleinsasser is born hereEvery edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Carrington. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Carrington.
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Carrington’s page.
Retake this view · +15The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Between 1,217 and 2,641 people in every census since 1910.
12 censuses, 1910–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Carrington’s Wikipedia page.
Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.
Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
In 1882, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Carrington’s post office opened in 1883, and the census of 1910 counted 1,217 people here.
Carrington is more historic than 55% of U.S. towns. 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.
Three places: the Foster County Courthouse (listed 1980), the US Post Office-Carrington (1989) and the Thomas Nichols Putnam House (1992).
12% of Carrington’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.2 points), against a typical 7.2% for a North Dakota town; the median home was built in 1972.
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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 the Library of Congress (12), the National Register of Historic Places (3), 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 Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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1909![N.P. [Northern Pacific] Depot](https://images.townratings.com/story/12773/af72418b15634d44a882-s.jpg)
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