On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Middle Valley is more historic than 8% of U.S. towns, #169 of 177 in Tennessee. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Middle Valley’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 Middle Valley’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 two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share (±1.6 points) is firm at this size.
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 Middle Valley’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Middle Valley yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Middle Valley is a census-designated place (CDP) in Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 11,695 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Chattanooga, TN–GA Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 12,684 to 11,695 (-8%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Middle Valley, 1880 to 1935
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 Middle Valley. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1935Daisy 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 Middle Valley.
Famous people
Famous people close to Middle Valley
Nobody well known was born in Middle Valley itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
Middle Valley is more historic than 8% of U.S. towns, #169 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.
How old are the homes in Middle Valley?
1% of Middle Valley’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.6 points), against a typical 4.9% for a Tennessee town; the median home was built in 1980.
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 U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.
