More historic than 26% of U.S. towns · #875 of 993 in Ohio. What drives it
Most of Cortland was built recently: 9% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1981. Below: 5 old photos and papers, maps from 1907 on, and the census since 1880.
The Cortland post office opened in 1874, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Bazetta (1825), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
First census: 616 in 18802020 census: 7,105152 years
How historic is Cortland?
C
More historic than 26% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Cortland post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Cortland’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Cortland is more historic than 26% of U.S. towns, #875 of 993 in Ohio. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Cortland’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 Cortland’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.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to C. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.6 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
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 Cortland’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Samuel Bacon established a settlement in what is now Cortland by acquiring land along the Mahoning River in 1807. In 1816, he traded this land for a lumber mill. The mill relied on a dam built in 1809, but it was limited to spring use due to water levels. As the area developed, J.H. Post and H.G. Scovill built a larger dam that powered a custom and planning mill and grist mill. The area became known as Baconsburg in the 19th century.
Passages that mention Cortland, cut from the printed page as they were published.
A twentieth century history of Trumbull County, Ohio1909 · page 279Read the page →
Read the text
mill at North Bristol, Ohio, where he was engaged six years. He sold out there and again went to Cortland, and in company with Mr. Kennedy, from 1886 to 1891, operated a grist mill. In Ms political views he is a supporter of the Republican party. In May, L907, he was nominated for mayor and elected in November to a twoyear term. He is a stockholder and director in the First National Bank of Cortland, Ohio ; also stockholder and director of the Telephone Company.
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.
Timeline
Cortland, 1825 to 1911
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.
The Cortland post office opened in 1874, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Cortland rank for history?
Cortland is more historic than 26% of U.S. towns, #875 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 Cortland?
9% of Cortland’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.6 points), against a typical 15% for an Ohio town; the median home was built in 1981.
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 (6), Wikipedia, 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.
1909
1911
1911
2021