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History · Rote

Rote’s post office opened in 1880

Most of Rote was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1971. Below: maps from 1921 on.

1880first post office
0on the National Register
4%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Rote began

When was Rote founded?

1880

The Rote post office opened in 1880, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 488146 years
Founding year: the first Rote post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Rote’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Rote are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19215 editions of the USGS map, 1921 to 1986. Watch Rote change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Rote’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Rote’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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On the map

Rote on the map, 1921 to 1986

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Rote. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Rote on the 1921 USGS mapRote on the 1944 USGS mapRote on the 1965 USGS mapRote on the 1973 USGS mapRote on the 1986 USGS map1921Lock Haven 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 Rote.

The story so far

Rote, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Rote yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Rote is a census-designated place located in Lamar Township in southern Clinton County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 507. Rote is located near the center of Lamar Township in southern Clinton County, along Pennsylvania Route 477 near the northeastern end of the Nittany Valley. PA 477 leads west 3 miles (5 km) to U.S. Route 220 at Cedar Springs, and east 7 miles (11 km) to Exit 185 on Interstate 80 near Loganton. Exit 178 on I-80 is 2.5 miles (4.0 km) southwest of Rote, via a local road and US 220.

Its first post office opened in 1880. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 507 to 488 (-4%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

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Famous people

Famous people close to Rote

Nobody well known was born in Rote itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Alison BechdelAmerican cartoonist, author · b. 1960
John SloanAmerican painter · b. 1871
Christina HartActress, director, producer · b. 1949
Alexander McDonaldAmerican politician · b. 1832
B
Brittani KlineFemale fashion model from the USA · b. 1991
Frankie MannAmerican actress · b. 1892

Questions about Rote’s history

What year was Rote founded?

The Rote post office opened in 1880, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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Sources

Where this page comes from

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). How TownRatings grades history →

From U.S. Geological Survey historical maps. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.