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AHistory
History · Walden

16% of Walden’s homes were built before 1940

More historic than 85% of U.S. towns. What drives it

5 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 13 buildings between them. Below: maps from 1936 on and the census since 1980.

5on the National Register
16%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

About Walden’s history

How historic is Walden?

A

More historic than 85% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
History grade

What drives Walden’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Walden is more historic than 85% of U.S. towns. All 2 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.

A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Walden’s overall grade.
Founding eraNo founding year we can rely on, so the grade uses the other two–Homes built before 194015.9% of homes (±6.8) · typical TN town 4.9% · U.S. 8.4%BNational Register5 listings, 17 historic buildings, 92.1 per 10,000 residents · typical TN town 6.1 · U.S. 2.4A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 85%
NewerOlder

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 Walden’s 92.1 sits above most of its state (90% of Tennessee towns have fewer) while its 17 historic buildings outnumber those of 79% 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 is a Census survey estimate (±6.8 points).

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 Walden’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Walden are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Landmarks on the Register5 places on the National Register.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Walden’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Walden’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the National Register

5 listings protect 17 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
5
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
17
each building in a district counts
first listed
1973
Topside
Bachman, Nathan L. SchoolTopsideW RoadBachman-McCoy FarmWalden’s Ridge Civic Center
BuildingsDistrictsStructures
Bachman, Nathan L. SchoolBuilding
All 5 listings
TopsideBuilding · listed 1973W RoadStructure · listed 1999Bachman-McCoy FarmDistrict · listed 2024Walden’s Ridge Civic CenterDistrict · listed 2026

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

The story so far

Walden, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Walden yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Walden is a town located in Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 1,981 at the 2020 census and up from 1,898 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Chattanooga, Tennessee–Georgia Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 1,898 to 1,981 (+4%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

By decade

Walden, decade by decade

Today8 recent
Fairmount, Tennessee 042026Fairmount, Tennessee 04Walden’s Ridge Civic League2025Walden’s Ridge Civic LeagueWalden’s Ridge Civic League building2025Walden’s Ridge Civic League buildingWalden Union Chapel2025Walden Union ChapelWalden Town Hall2025Walden Town HallTopside2025TopsideSignal Mountain Church of the Nazarene2025Signal Mountain Church of the NazarenePinecrest Baptist Church2025Pinecrest Baptist Church
On the map

Walden on the map, 1936 to 1988

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Walden. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Walden on the 1936 USGS mapWalden on the 1945 USGS mapWalden on the 1958 USGS mapWalden on the 1969 USGS mapWalden on the 1976 USGS mapWalden on the 1988 USGS map1936Fairmount 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 Walden.

People over time

Walden, census by census

05001,0001,5002,000198020002020Peak: 1,981

Between 1,293 and 1,981 people in every census since 1980.

5 censuses, 1980–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Walden’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

Famous people close to Walden

Nobody well known was born in Walden itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Bessie SmithAmerican blues singer · b. 1894
Ralphie MayAmerican stand-up comedian · b. 1972
A
Arthur GoldenAmerican novelist · b. 1956
Rachel BostonAmerican actress · b. 1982
Roscoe TannerUS tennis player · b. 1951
Tamara E. JerniganAstronaut · b. 1959
Places that used to be

Old corners and places now gone

Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.

Hamlets and corners on the map
ClaridgeForest ParkSummertown
Gone or out of use
Fairmount Schoolschool

Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Fairmount1 historic placeCSignal Mountain2 historic placesC+Falling WaterIts storyC−

Questions about Walden’s history

How does Walden rank for history?

Walden is more historic than 85% 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.

What is on the National Register in Walden?

5 listings: 2 buildings, among them the Topside (listed 1973, the first), 2 historic districts, the Bachman-McCoy Farm and the Walden’s Ridge Civic Center, with 13 contributing buildings, and 1 structure. 17 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Walden?

16% of Walden’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.8 points), against a typical 4.9% for a Tennessee town; the median home was built in 1982.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

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 (8), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (5), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) 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.