Most of South Burlington was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1989. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1906 on, and the census since 1800.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, South Burlington is more historic than 21% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of South Burlington’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 South Burlington’s 1.4 sits below most of its state (11% of Vermont towns have fewer) while its 3 historic buildings outnumber those of 65% 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 (±1.7 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 South Burlington’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 South Burlington. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1906Burlington 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 South Burlington.
The area of South Burlington was first granted by the Province of New Hampshire as part of Burlington township on June 7, 1763.
The Town of Burlington was organized circa 1785. In 1865, the unincorporated village of Burlington was chartered as a city. The remaining area of the town of Burlington was incorporated by charter of the State of Vermont as a separate town with the name South Burlington in the same year, 1865. The Town of South Burlington was later incorporated as a city in 1971, becoming the City of South Burlington.
Passages that mention South Burlington, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Chittenden County, Vermont, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers1886 · page 685Read the page →
History of Chittenden County, Vermont, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers1886 · page 684Read the page →
Read the text
and accepted by the inhabitants of Burlington on the i8th day of January following, all of the old township lying east of an irregular line drawn from the mouth of Shelburne Bay northeasterly through the center of the township to Winooski River, became a separate jurisdiction known as South Burlington. On the isth of February, 1865, a majority of the inhabitants of South Burlington petitioned the selectmen of the old town to publish a warning for the first meeting of the town of South Burlington. The warning was accordingly published, signed by Carolus Noyes, L. B. Piatt, and P. H. Catlin, selectmen
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.
Timeline
South Burlington, 1897 to 1997
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
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.
South Burlington is more historic than 21% 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 South Burlington?
One place: the Sutton Farm (listed 2004).
How old are the homes in South Burlington?
3% of South Burlington’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.7 points), against a typical 22% for a Vermont town; the median home was built in 1989.
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 (12), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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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