13% of Lower Oxford Township’s homes were built before 1940
More historic than 82% of U.S. towns · #287 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
3 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 52 buildings between them. Below: maps from 1904 on and the census since 1930.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Lower Oxford Township is more historic than 82% of U.S. towns, #287 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. All 2 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
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HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Lower Oxford Township’s overall grade.
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 Lower Oxford Township’s 91.9 sits above most of its state (88% of Pennsylvania towns have fewer) while its 52 historic buildings outnumber those of 85% 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 (±6.2 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 Lower Oxford Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The Hopewell Historic District and Pine Grove Covered Bridge are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The township is named after Oxford, England.
The township was also acted as an early genesis point and catalyst for large Irish and especially Scotch-Irish settlement and expansion into Chester County and points west in Pennsylvania.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Lower Oxford Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1904Coatesville sheet · 1:62,500
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Lower Oxford Township.
People over time
Lower Oxford Township, census by census
Grew from 1,127 people in 1930 to 5,420 in 2020, 4 times over.
10 censuses, 1930–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Lower Oxford Township’s Wikipedia page.
Stories next door
History across the town line
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
Lower Oxford Township is more historic than 82% of U.S. towns, #287 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. 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 Lower Oxford Township?
Three places: the Pine Grove Covered Bridge (listed 1980), the Hopewell Historic District (1991) and the Lincoln University (2022).
How old are the homes in Lower Oxford Township?
13% of Lower Oxford Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.2 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1991.
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 the National Register of Historic Places (3), 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.
