Its Register listings are the Athletic Park Band Shell, the Plainview Carnegie Library and the Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri Valley Railroad Depot. Below: 2 old photos and papers from 1980 on.
The Plainview post office opened in 1874, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1880. Another post office, Roseville (1871), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
2020 census: 1,282152 years
How historic is Plainview?
B+
More historic than 74% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Plainview post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1880.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Plainview’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Plainview is more historic than 74% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Plainview’s overall grade.
Nebraska towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Nebraska town has 16.3 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Plainview’s 23.4 sits above most of its state (68% of Nebraska towns have fewer) while its 3 listings outnumber those of 65% 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 (±9.3 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1880 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 Plainview’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The area of Plainview was first settled by William B. Chilvers around 1871. A year later in 1872, the first post office was established. The township was named Roseville after the first Postmaster, Charles Rose. In 1874, after Christian Lerum made a suggestion, the area and the post office were renamed to Plainview. The town of Plainview was incorporated and officially became Plainview Township in April 1886.
Plainview was platted in 1880 when the railroad was extended to that point. It took its name after Plainview, Minnesota, and from the scenic landscapes of the surrounding plains.
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.
Plainview’s post office has been open since 1874. Another post office, Roseville, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Roseville
1871–1874
Plainview
1874–today
18701950today
Hamlets and corners on the map
East End Tailer Court
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Plainview’s history
What year was Plainview founded?
The Plainview post office opened in 1874, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1880.
How does Plainview rank for history?
Plainview is more historic than 74% 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 Plainview?
Three places: the Athletic Park Band Shell (listed 1992), the Plainview Carnegie Library (1993) and the Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri Valley Railroad Depot (2005).
How old are the homes in Plainview?
34% of Plainview’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±9.3 points), against a typical 18% for a Nebraska town; the median home was built in 1954.
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 (3), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.
1980
2012
2010
2005
