Half of Howland Center’s homes were built after 1974
More historic than 21% of U.S. towns · #908 of 993 in Ohio. What drives it
Most of Howland Center was built recently: 7% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1974. Below: maps from 1962 on and the census since 2000.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Howland Center is more historic than 21% of U.S. towns, #908 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 Howland Center’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 Howland Center’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 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 (±7.1 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 Howland Center’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
In 1620, John Howland landed in Plymouth, Massachusetts aboard the Mayflower. A descendant of his, Joseph Howland, purchased the township from the Connecticut Land Company in 1795. The first settler arrived in 1799, and Howland Township was organized in 1812. A sawmill was constructed in Howland in 1814, with a gristmill constructed the following year. Circa 1830, Howland Springs began operation as a health spa; it operated in the township until it burned in 1882. The Howland Local School District was formed in 1917 from the consolidation of five one-room schools. The township was sparsely populated until 1953, when the Clifton-Hyde housing development was built. The township has seen sustained growth since that time, as the nearby cities of Warren and Youngstown have suburbanized the township.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Howland Center. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1962Girard sheet · 1:24,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Howland Center.
People over time
Howland Center, census by census
Between 6,351 and 6,481 people in every census since 2000.
3 censuses, 2000–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Howland Center’s Wikipedia page.
Famous people
Famous people close to Howland Center
Nobody well known was born in Howland Center itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
Howland Center is more historic than 21% of U.S. towns, #908 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 Howland Center?
7% of Howland Center’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.1 points), against a typical 15% for an Ohio town; the median home was built in 1974.
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 Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps and U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
