Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1936.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Craig Beach’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Craig Beach is more historic than 21% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Craig Beach’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 Craig Beach’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 D to C. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±6.6 points). Two sources give 1931.
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 →
What stands out about Craig Beach’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
In 1910, the city of Youngstown acquired 3,416 acres along the Mahoning River in Milton Township to construct a reservoir to be used as a water supply. The plan was to construct a 2,800-foot dam across the river, impounding 1,640 acres. Entertainer Ward Craig founded Craig’s Landing to initially watch the construction of the dam, which later offered a refreshment stand, swimming area, boat docks, and picnic facilities. In 1922, Craig formed his own amusement company that would create the Craig Beach Amusement Park along the new Lake Milton. Featuring rides, a dance hall, as well as rental cottages, Craig Beach became a popular entertainment hub for the area as big bands of the 1930s toured the area. Future crooner Dean Martin would get his start at the Craig Beach dance hall performing with these orchestras. Craig Beach was incorporated as a village in 1931. The amusement park would clo…
Craig Beach had its own post office from 1936 to 1944.
Craig Beach
1936–1944
19301980today
Gone or out of use
Craig Beach Post Officepost office
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Craig Beach’s history
What year was Craig Beach founded?
In 1931, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Craig Beach’s post office opened in 1936, and the census of 1940 counted 198 people here.
How does Craig Beach rank for history?
Craig Beach is more historic than 21% 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.
How old are the homes in Craig Beach?
14% of Craig Beach’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.6 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 (4), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), 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.
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