On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Alma is more historic than 44% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Alma’s overall grade.
Wisconsin towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Wisconsin town has 3.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Alma’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (28% of Wisconsin towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% 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 (±7.3 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 Alma’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 Alma. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1924Black River Falls 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 Alma.
The story so far
Alma, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Alma yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Alma is a town in Jackson County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,033 at the 2020 census. The Village of Alma Center is located within the town. The ghost town of Wrightsville was also located in the town.
Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 1,044 in 2010, 1,033 in 2020.
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Alma, 1869 to 1924
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds
Another post office, Wrightsville, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Hamlets and corners on the map
Wrightsville
Gone or out of use
Avon SchoolschoolHoughtonburg SchoolschoolOak Grove SchoolschoolPomroy SchoolschoolSouth Alma SchoolschoolWright StationlocaleWrightsville Post Officepost officeWrightsville Schoolschool
3cemeteries and burying grounds inside Alma
East LawnHoughtonburgSaint Marys
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). 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.
Alma is more historic than 44% 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 Alma?
18% of Alma’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.3 points), against a typical 12% for a Wisconsin town; the median home was built in 1990.
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 the Library of Congress (1), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.
Date?
