Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
More historic than 54% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Below: old-book passages.
The Knox post office opened in 1854, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1877.
More historic than 54% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Knox is more historic than 54% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
Pennsylvania towns list about as much on the Register as the country (a typical Pennsylvania town has 2.1 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Knox’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (25% of Pennsylvania towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
Founding year: the first post office (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 Knox’s history is told.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Knox yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Knox is a borough in Clarion County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,102 at the 2020 census.
Its first post office opened in 1854. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 1,146 to 1,093 (-5%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Passages that mention Knox, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Huber, John Bachman, Nos. 2815,2816, 2786, 2787, 2788, a southeastern section of Washington township. James Humes, No. 2782, in southern Washington ; Nos. 2783, 2784, 2785, 2772, being the northern half and southeastern section of the Holland Company's land in Knox township. Joseph Ogilby, Nos. 2779, 2778, 2776, 2774, 2773, a tier in northeastern Elk, and taking up the remaining portion of Knox township. Thomas Crawford, Nos. 2740, 2741, 2739, 2738, 2706, 2707, the remaining eastern half of Elk. Daniel Reigart, Benjamin Long, Nos. 2766, 2767, 2737, 2715, 2709, 2710, in western Paint,
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Knox, James, private, October 12, 1861, three years; discharged on surgeon's certificate June 30, 1862. Karnes, Alexander, private, August 23, 1862, three years; transferred to Company A October 18, 1864.
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.
The Knox post office opened in 1854, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1877.
Knox is more historic than 54% of U.S. towns. 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.
41% of Knox’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±10.5 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1948.
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 (4), 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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