McMinnville dates to 1810, and 15 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 72% of U.S. towns · #34 of 177 in Tennessee. What drives it
Most of McMinnville was built recently: 8% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1973. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1887 on, and the census since 1850.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1811. Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
History grade
What drives McMinnville’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, McMinnville is more historic than 72% of U.S. towns, #34 of 177 in Tennessee. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of McMinnville’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 McMinnville’s 11.6 sits above most of its state (66% of Tennessee towns have fewer) while its 16 historic buildings outnumber those of 78% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B to A−. The pre-1940 share (±2.7 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1810.
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 McMinnville’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Every building
McMinnville, building by building, 1887–1926
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
McMinnville, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of McMinnville yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
McMinnville is the largest city in and the county seat of Warren County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 13,788 at the 2020 census. It was named after Governor Joseph McMinn.
McMinnville was established in 1810. Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 13,605 in 2010, 13,788 in 2020.
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
McMinnville, 1810 to 1971
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born 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.
Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.
Hamlets and corners on the map
Mount LeoWest Riverside
Gone or out of use
Bybee Branch SchoolschoolWarren County Farmlocale
3cemeteries and burying grounds inside McMinnville
Hills CreekMount ViewRiverside
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about McMinnville’s history
What year was McMinnville founded?
In 1810, according to Wikidata. McMinnville’s post office opened in 1811, and the census of 1850 counted 420 people here.
How does McMinnville rank for history?
McMinnville is more historic than 72% of U.S. towns, #34 of 177 in Tennessee. 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 McMinnville?
15 listings: 13 buildings, among them the Joseph Daniel Walling House (listed 1980, the first), 1 site, and 1 structure. 16 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in McMinnville?
8% of McMinnville’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.7 points), against a typical 4.9% for a Tennessee town; the median home was built in 1973.
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 (2), Wikidata (4), the National Register of Historic Places (15), 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.
1880
