Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
More historic than 84% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Its Register listings are the Hyde Log Cabin, the Gordon-Center House and the Congregational Church-Grand Isle. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1894 on, and the census since 1800.
The Grand Isle post office opened in 1810, the earliest record of the town by name. Two smaller post offices, Pearl (1883) and Adams (1886), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
More historic than 84% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Grand Isle is more historic than 84% of U.S. towns. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its share of homes from before 1940 ranks highest and its National Register listings lowest.
Vermont towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Vermont town has 147 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Grand Isle’s 36.5 sits near the middle of its state (44% of Vermont towns have fewer) while its 8 historic buildings outnumber those of 74% of U.S. towns.
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 →
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Grand Isle’s history is told.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Grand Isle. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Grand Isle.
Grand Isle’s post office has been open since 1810. Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikipedia’s history of Grand Isle.
The town was originally named "Middle Hero" when it was subdivided from the town of "South Hero" in November 1798. In November 1810, the town was renamed "Grand Isle".
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention Grand Isle, cut from the printed page as they were published.
But at this time and down to the year 1802 the town of South Hero, and as well that part of the island that is the town of Grand Isle, formed a part of Chittenden county, and was not entirely separated therefrom until the full organization of Grand Isle county in the year 1805. In the measures looking to the erection of the island towns into a separate county the people of South Hero took an active part, and were urged to press.their case with increased vigor and zeal on account of the fact that all the island region except this town and Grand Isle, or Middle
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Over in the western part of the town of Grand Isle, in the year 1827, the Friends' meeting-house was built. The people who were of this denomination or sect were among the earliest settlers in the town, and numbered some of the most thrifty families of the island. About the year 1800 their first meeting-house was built, of logs, which gave way to the more substantial house of brick erected in 1827.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Mr. Robinson represented the town of Grand Isle in 1884 at the age of 33, and has served as lister and selectman both at Grand Isle and South Hero, and is now chairman of the board of the latter town.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
South Hero lies at the southern end of the county of Grand Isle, and is now bounded on the north bv the town of Grand Isle, but on limestone rock that frequently crops out above the surface. The farms produce splendid crops of hay and grain, and clover here at-
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
In the archiveMap of
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological SurveyOne decade in the archive so far: the 1840s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
2025Grand Isle VT 11-17-25
2022Grand Isle VT Cornfield
2022Grand Isle CornField 2
2019Grand Isle United Methodist Church, sits in this "Bea…
2017Little Cove Marina in the inlet separating Grand Isle…
2017The Hyde Cabin, a pioneer log cabin, built c. 1783 on…
2017Nearby big and little barns
2017Grand Isle draw bridge over Lake Champlain, Vermont
2016Gordon Landing Ferry Docks Vermont
2014Town of Grand Isle VT entrance
2004Grand isle vt highlight
2000Perspective view, west. - Lake House Hotel, East Shor…No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Grand Isle’s page.
Retake this view · +15The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Grew from 678 people in 1800 to 2,086 in 2020, 3 times over.
23 censuses, 1800–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Grand Isle’s Wikipedia page.
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
The Grand Isle post office opened in 1810, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
Grand Isle is more historic than 84% 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.
Three places: the Hyde Log Cabin (listed 1971), the Gordon-Center House (1986) and the Congregational Church-Grand Isle (2001).
26% of Grand Isle’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.5 points), against a typical 22% for a Vermont town; the median home was built in 1983.
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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 (9), the Library of Congress (5), Wikidata (3), the National Register of Historic Places (3), Wikipedia, 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 old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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