12 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 38 buildings between them. Below: 4 old photos and papers, maps from 1893 on, and the census since 1890.
Founding year: the first Mayville post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1881.
History grade
What drives Mayville’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Mayville is more historic than 77% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Mayville’s overall grade.
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 Mayville’s 243 sits above most of its state (100% of North Dakota towns have fewer) while its 48 historic buildings outnumber those of 85% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B− to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±7.2 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1881 falls in the same era, so the grade doesn’t depend on which one is used.
Founding year: the first post office (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 Mayville’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.
People over time
Mayville, census by census
Peaked at 2,554 in 1970; 1,854 people lived here in 2020.
14 censuses, 1890–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Mayville’s Wikipedia page.
The story so far
Mayville, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Mayville yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Mayville is a city in Traill County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 1,854 at the 2020 census. Mayville is the largest community in Traill County. It was founded in 1881. It is named for May Arnold, the first white child born in the immediate area. Mayville is often grouped with the neighboring city of Portland and called "May-Port". It is home to Mayville State University.
Its first post office opened in 1877. Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 1,858 in 2010, 1,854 in 2020.
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Mayville, 1877 to 1970
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.
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Mayville.
Every building
Mayville, building by building, 1893–1914
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.
The Mayville post office opened in 1877, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1881.
How does Mayville rank for history?
Mayville is more historic than 77% 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.
What is on the National Register in Mayville?
12 listings: 10 buildings, among them the Col. William H. Robinson House (listed 1977, the first), and 2 historic districts, the Grandins' Mayville Farm District and the Mayville Historic District, with 38 contributing buildings. 48 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Mayville?
20% of Mayville’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.2 points), against a typical 7.2% for a North Dakota 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 (10), the Library of Congress (2), the National Register of Historic Places (12), 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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