Most of Tennessee Ridge was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1975. Below: maps from 1936 on and the census since 1960.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Tennessee Ridge is more historic than 33% 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 Tennessee Ridge’s overall grade.
Tennessee State towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Tennessee State town has 6.1 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Tennessee Ridge’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (16% of Tennessee State 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 1780.
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 (±3.4 points).
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 Tennessee Ridge’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Tennessee Ridge. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1936Stewart 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 Tennessee Ridge.
People over time
Tennessee Ridge, census by census
Between 324 and 1,368 people in every census since 1960.
7 censuses, 1960–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Tennessee Ridge’s Wikipedia page.
Famous people
Famous people close to Tennessee Ridge
Nobody well known was born in Tennessee Ridge itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
In 1780, according to Wikidata. Tennessee Ridge’s post office opened in 1861, and the census of 1960 counted 324 people here.
How does Tennessee Ridge rank for history?
Tennessee Ridge is more historic than 33% 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 Tennessee Ridge?
3% of Tennessee Ridge’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.4 points), against a typical 4.9% for a Tennessee State town; the median home was built in 1975.
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, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), 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.
