Richfield dates to 1809, and 1 of its places is on the National Register
More historic than 64% of U.S. towns · #488 of 993 in Ohio. What drives it
Most of Richfield was built recently: 7% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1973. Its Register listing is the Orson Minot Oviatt House. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1903 on, and the census since 1970.
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1825.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Richfield’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Richfield is more historic than 64% of U.S. towns, #488 of 993 in Ohio. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Richfield’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 Richfield’s 5.4 sits above most of its state (65% of Ohio towns have fewer) while its 2 historic buildings outnumber those of 60% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B− to A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.7 points). Two sources give 1809.
Founding year: Wikidata (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 Richfield’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Richfield was founded in 1809 and incorporated in 1967. The village was named for the richness of their soil.
In 1970, Mayor Kenneth Swan signed an ordinance declaring Richfield Village the first "world city" in the United States.
Richfield was the home of the Cleveland Cavaliers of the NBA from 1974 until 1994 and the Cleveland Barons of the NHL from 1976 to 1978. Both teams played at the Richfield Coliseum.
Passages that mention Richfield, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Centennial history of Summit County, Ohio1908 · page 232Read the page →
Read the text
Portage County. He was unfortunate in the real estate business here, and in 1840 he returned to Hudson and formed a partnership with Heman Oviatt, of Richfield, to engage in the wool business. In 1842 he moved across the Cuyahoga Valley to Richfield, where he lived two years. AVhile living in Richfield four of his children died. In 1844 he moved
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Summit County, with an outline sketch of Ohio1881 · page 613Read the page →
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The township of Richfield is known as Town 4, in Range 12, and may well be considered one of the choice townships in the Connecticut Western Reserve. Its estimated value in an early da}' as a township was adjudged above the average. A strip of land, designated as " Tract 7," about seventy-two rods in width east and west, and extending the whole length
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Summit County, with an outline sketch of Ohio1881 · page 619Read the page →
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The township of Richfield early took an active and prominent part in the war of the rebellion. When the news came that the rebels had fired on Fort Sumter, the excitement was intense, and in a few days the men, old and young, were drilling. The first company' that grew out of the excitement was composed of all classes of citizens, and was commanded b}'
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
Richfield, 1809 to 1969
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.
In 1809, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Richfield’s post office opened in 1825, and the census of 1970 counted 3,228 people here.
How does Richfield rank for history?
Richfield is more historic than 64% of U.S. towns, #488 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 Richfield?
One place: the Orson Minot Oviatt House (listed 2021).
How old are the homes in Richfield?
7% of Richfield’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.7 points), against a typical 15% for an Ohio town; the median home was built in 1973.
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), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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), 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.
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