Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1899.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Wyomissing’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Wyomissing is more historic than 70% of U.S. towns, #475 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Wyomissing’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 Wyomissing’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.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1685.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to A. The pre-1940 share (±2.9 points) is firm at this size.
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 Wyomissing’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The original inhabitants of Wyomissing are Lenape Native Americans, who lived along the banks of Wyomissing Creek. The name Wyomissing is from the Delaware language, meaning "peaceful/long fish/pike". Much of Berks County was transferred from the Native Americans to William Penn in 1685. Title to the land that much of Wyomissing is built upon was in two parcels, an eastern tract and a western tract, which were divided by a northwesterly line in the vicinity of Lake Avenue. One of the earliest industries in the area was the Evans Grist Mill. This building still stands at the corner of Old Mill Road and Old Wyomissing Road.
Passages that mention Wyomissing, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Historical and biographical annals of Berks County, Pennsylvania, embracing a concise history of the county and a genealogical and biographical record of representative families, comp. by Morton L. Montgomery ..1909 · page 433Read the page →
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In 1902 Mr. Thun started the Wyomissing Suburban Building and Loan Association, and in 1906 the Wyomissing Building and Savings Association, and he has served as treasurer of both organizations until the present time.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Berks county in Pennsylvania1886 · page 73Read the page →
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headwaters of the Tulpehocken Creek ; and another settlement of English (commonly called " Friends ") and Welsh had taken place along the Allegheny and Wyomissing Creeks. These settlements were known by the names "Tulpehocken" and " Robeson." An earlier settlement to the south was called "Caernarvon." Accordingly, during the first quarter of that cen-
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Historical and biographical annals of Berks County, Pennsylvania, embracing a concise history of the county and a genealogical and biographical record of representative families, comp. by Morton L. Montgomery ..1909 · page 5Read the page →
Read the text
migrated eastwardly to the head-waters of the Tul- •pehocken creek ; and another settlement, of English (commonly called "Friends") and Welsh, had taken place along the Allegheny and Wyomissing creeks. These settlements were known by tne names "Tulpehocken" and "Robeson." An earher settlement to the south was called "Caernarvon." Accordingly, during the first quarter of that century, six
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Berks county in Pennsylvania1886 · page 1166Read the page →
Read the text
Wyomissing Chuech {Reformed and Lutheran) is at Gouglersville. It was erected in 1850, having been dedicated November 17, 1850. The building becoming too small, it was determined, early in 1886, to erect a new edifice. The old church was occupied the last time April 4, 1886, when it was demolished.
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.
By decade
Wyomissing, decade by decade
2 decades in the archive, from the 1880s to the 1930s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
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.
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 1685, according to Wikidata. Wyomissing’s post office opened in 1899, and the census of 1910 counted 985 people here.
How does Wyomissing rank for history?
Wyomissing is more historic than 70% of U.S. towns, #475 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.
How old are the homes in Wyomissing?
17% of Wyomissing’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.9 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1971.
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 (12), 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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