More historic than 95% of U.S. towns · #65 of 993 in Ohio. What drives it
3 places in town are on the National Register, among them the Greenhills Historic District, a National Historic Landmark, and two historic districts with 730 buildings between them. Below: 18 old photos and papers, maps from 1915 on, and the census since 1940.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Greenhills is more historic than 95% of U.S. towns, #65 of 993 in Ohio. All 2 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
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HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Greenhills’ 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 Greenhills’ 1,975 sits above most of its state (100% of Ohio towns have fewer) while its 731 historic buildings outnumber those of 98% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±7.3 points).
Founding year: our sources. 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 Greenhills’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
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.
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.
As one of three Greenbelt Communities built by the Resettlement Administration during the 1930s (the other two are Greenbelt, Maryland and Greendale, Wisconsin), Greenhills was designed to be surrounded by a "belt" of woodland and natural landscaping. Like the other six "FDR towns", Greenhills was founded as a sundown town, using restrictive covenants to prevent minorities from purchasing homes there. Many families include third- and fourth-generation descendants of the village's original "pioneers" who occupied the original International-style townhomes. The original government-built area, the Greenhills Historic District, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a National Historic Landmark. The community's James Whallon House, which serves as the village hall is also listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The landmarked area encompasses about three q…
Greenhills is more historic than 95% of U.S. towns, #65 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.
What is on the National Register in Greenhills?
Three places: the Greenhills Historic District, the James Whallon House (1973) and the Greenhills Historic District (1989).
How old are the homes in Greenhills?
19% of Greenhills’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.3 points), against a typical 15% for an Ohio town; the median home was built in 1955.
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 (16), the Library of Congress (2), the National Register of Historic Places (3), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) 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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