Most of Greenfield was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1964. Below: maps from 1899 on and the census since 1880.
Founding year: the first Greenfield post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).
History grade
What drives Greenfield’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Greenfield is more historic than 21% of U.S. towns. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Greenfield’s overall grade.
Tennessee towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Tennessee town has 6.1 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Greenfield’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (16% of Tennessee towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to C. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.3 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
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 →
What stands out about Greenfield’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
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.
Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
The story so far
Greenfield, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Greenfield yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Greenfield is a city in Weakley County, Tennessee, United States. As of the 2020 census, Greenfield had a population of 2,031. The population was 2,078 in 2018.
Its first post office opened in 1874. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 2,182 to 2,031 (-7%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Greenfield, 1874 to 1954
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Greenfield. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1954Greenfield sheet · 1:24,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Greenfield.
People over time
Greenfield, census by census
Between 320 and 2,208 people in every census since 1880.
14 censuses, 1880–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Greenfield’s Wikipedia page.
Places that used to be
Old corners and burying grounds
Greenfield’s post office has been open since 1874.
Hamlets and corners on the map
Old Hall
5cemeteries and burying grounds inside Greenfield
BrockHighlandMorrisPattersonRose Hill
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Greenfield’s history
What year was Greenfield founded?
The Greenfield post office opened in 1874, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Greenfield rank for history?
Greenfield is more historic than 21% 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.
How old are the homes in Greenfield?
6% of Greenfield’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.3 points), against a typical 4.9% for a Tennessee town; the median home was built in 1964.
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 (5), 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 Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.