4 of New Franklin’s places are on the National Register
More historic than 66% of U.S. towns · #468 of 993 in Ohio. What drives it
Most of New Franklin was built recently: 9% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1963. Below: maps from 1901 on and the census since 2000.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, New Franklin is more historic than 66% of U.S. towns, #468 of 993 in Ohio. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of New Franklin’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 New Franklin’s 7.9 sits above most of its state (71% of Ohio towns have fewer) while its 11 historic buildings outnumber those of 76% 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 (±3.0 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 New Franklin’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
In 1997 the village of New Franklin was incorporated from a section of Franklin Township to thwart annexation attempts from neighboring cities. New Franklin expanded significantly in November 2003 when the residents of Franklin Township and New Franklin voted to merge the two entities, rendering Franklin Township in Summit County defunct. The merger took effect January 1, 2005. The village officially became a city on March 5, 2006.
On November 6, 2007, city residents voted against changing the city's name to Portage Lakes, 57% to 42%.
The area, originally known as Franklin Township, was founded in 1817. The village of New Franklin was a part of Franklin Township; its citizens were also citizens of Franklin Township.
New Franklin is more historic than 66% of U.S. towns, #468 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 New Franklin?
4 listings: 4 buildings, among them the Frank Mason Raymond House (listed 1995, the first). 11 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in New Franklin?
9% of New Franklin’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.0 points), against a typical 15% for an Ohio town; the median home was built in 1963.
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 (2), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (4), 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) 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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