More historic than 27% of U.S. towns · #308 of 362 in Wisconsin. What drives it
Most of Bass Lake was built recently: 9% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1989. Below: 4 old photos and papers and maps from 1971 on.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Bass Lake is more historic than 27% of U.S. towns, #308 of 362 in Wisconsin. 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 Bass Lake’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 Bass Lake’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 (±3.1 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 Bass Lake’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Bass Lake yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Bass Lake is a town in Sawyer County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 2,731 at the 2020 census. The census-designated place of Little Round Lake is located in the town. The unincorporated community of Northwoods Beach is also located in the town.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 2,377 to 2,731 (+15%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Bass Lake, 1880 to 1971
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.
Bass Lake is more historic than 27% of U.S. towns, #308 of 362 in Wisconsin. 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 Bass Lake?
9% of Bass Lake’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.1 points), against a typical 12% for a Wisconsin 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 the Library of Congress (4), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps 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.
1898![White Bass Lake near Gordon's [sic], Wis](https://images.townratings.com/story/35569/8e5b515de613673773e9-s.jpg)
1898
