Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
More historic than 83% of U.S. towns · #264 of 993 in Ohio. What drives it
2 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 47 buildings. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1885 on, and the census since 1880.
Wadsworth dates its founding to 1814 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1880.
More historic than 83% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Wadsworth is more historic than 83% of U.S. towns, #264 of 993 in Ohio. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
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 Wadsworth’s 19.6 sits above most of its state (81% of Ohio towns have fewer) while its 48 historic buildings outnumber those of 85% of U.S. towns.
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 →
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Wadsworth’s history is told.
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
1885Sheet 1 of 2Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
From Wikipedia’s history of Wadsworth.
A post office called Wadsworth has been in operation since 1823.
In 1964, Wadsworth withdrew from Wadsworth Township by forming a paper township. The paper township originally went unnamed. In 2003, it was named Pardee Township, after Aaron Pardee, the first mayor of Wadsworth.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention Wadsworth, cut from the printed page as they were published.
There are in Wadsworth Village and township seven meeting-houses, and, within five miles of Wadsworth Center, may be found eighteen more, making twenty-five, and there are resident ministers in Wadsworth Village to the number of at least twelve, showing that there is no excuse for Wadsworth to be called an irreligious community.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The village of Wadsworth was originally built up at what was called the center of the township, at the crossing of the north-andsouth and east-and-west roads. The north-andsouth road was early laid out as a State road from Coshocton to Cleveland, but had been formerly laid as a county road through Wadsworth Township—it lies two miles from the
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
whom were natives of Bucks Co., Penn. His father was a shoemaker by trade, and, in the spring of 1827. moved to Ohio and settled in Wadsworth Township, Medina Co., where he developed a piece of land, besides working at his trade. He passed the rest of his life in this county, living successively in Wadsworth, Sharon, Montville and Guilford Towmships,
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.
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Born hereAaron S. French is born here
Born hereLaura Spelman Rockefeller is born here
Born hereAlban W. Purcell is born here
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
Born hereBishop Sankey is born hereEvery edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Wadsworth. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Wadsworth.
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Wadsworth’s page.
Retake this view · +15Grew from 1,219 people in 1880 to 24,007 in 2020, more than tenfold.
15 censuses, 1880–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Wadsworth’s Wikipedia page.
Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.
Wadsworth’s post office has been open since 1823.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
In 1814, according to Wikidata. Wadsworth’s post office opened in 1823, and the census of 1880 counted 1,219 people here.
Wadsworth is more historic than 83% of U.S. towns, #264 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.
Two places: the St. Mark's Episcopal Church (listed 1973) and the Wadsworth Downtown Historic District (2024).
13% of Wadsworth’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.4 points), against a typical 15% for an Ohio town; the median home was built in 1978.
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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), the National Register of Historic Places (2), 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, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) 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.
Date?
2023
