Founding year: the first North Bennington post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives North Bennington’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, North Bennington is more historic than 98% of U.S. towns. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its age lowest.
A+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of North Bennington’s overall grade.
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 North Bennington’s 1,632 sits above most of its state (100% of Vermont towns have fewer) while its 218 historic buildings outnumber those of 94% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A to A+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±12.5 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
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 →
What stands out about North Bennington’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
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.
On the map
North Bennington on the map, 1898 to 1997
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of North Bennington. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1898Bennington sheet · 1:62,500
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of North Bennington.
The North Bennington Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. The district covers an area of 112 acres (0.45 km2) and includes 164 contributing buildings and two contributing sites. It is home to the Park-McCullough Historic House, a well-preserved, 35-room, Victorian country house. The H.C. White site, at the southern end of the village, was added to the Register in 2009.
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.
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
places listed
4
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
218
each building in a district counts
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
People over time
North Bennington, census by census
Grew from 670 people in 1900 to 1,716 in 2020.
13 censuses, 1900–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on North Bennington’s Wikipedia page.
Questions about North Bennington’s history
What year was North Bennington founded?
The North Bennington post office opened in 1828, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does North Bennington rank for history?
North Bennington is more historic than 98% 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 North Bennington?
43% of North Bennington’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±12.5 points), against a typical 22% for a Vermont town; the median home was built in 1957.
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 (5), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) 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.
1933
2008
2008
2008
2007