More historic than 36% of U.S. towns · #786 of 993 in Ohio. What drives it
Most of Brooklyn was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1960. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1903 on, and the census since 1870.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1868.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Brooklyn’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Brooklyn is more historic than 36% of U.S. towns, #786 of 993 in Ohio. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Brooklyn’s overall grade.
Ohio towns list about as much on the Register as the country (a typical Ohio town has 2.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Brooklyn’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (23% of Ohio towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1818.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to B−. The pre-1940 share (±1.8 points) is firm at this size.
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 Brooklyn’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Brooklyn was home to the first seat belt law in 1966 and the first cell phone law for motorists in 1999.
The Hugo Boss Plant was closed for three months in 2009 and was going to ship the jobs overseas to Turkey; however, the union and the City of Brooklyn were able to reach a compromise and a three-year contract reopening the plant shortly after.
Passages that mention Brooklyn, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Cuyahoga County, Ohio. With portraits and biographical sketches of its prominent men and pioneers1879 · page 425Read the page →
Read the text
Ozias Brainard, Jr., put up the first framed dwelling in Brooklyn, on the place now occupied by his son David, and Asa Brainard raised the first framed barn, which is still in use on the farm of Carlos Jones, the erection of which, in 1818 or before, was the occasion of a hilarious celebration. Asa Brainard also built the first brick house in the old township of Brooklyn at what is now the junction of Columbus and Scranton
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Cuyahoga County, Ohio. With portraits and biographical sketches of its prominent men and pioneers1879 · page 305Read the page →
Read the text
The land of the Brooklyn Cemetery Association is situated on Scranton avenue, between Wade and Seymour avenues, and was called ' 'North Brooklyn" to describe its location in the township of Brooklyn, before that portion of the township was included within the city limits.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
By decade
Brooklyn, decade by decade
One decade in the archive so far: the 1950s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
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 1818, according to Wikidata. Brooklyn’s post office opened in 1868, and the census of 1870 counted 648 people here.
How does Brooklyn rank for history?
Brooklyn is more historic than 36% of U.S. towns, #786 of 993 in Ohio. 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.
How old are the homes in Brooklyn?
4% of Brooklyn’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.8 points), against a typical 15% for an Ohio town; the median home was built in 1960.
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), 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 old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
2017
2015
2014
2014
2014
2014
2013
2012
2007
2007
2005