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B+History
History · Belmont

Belmont dates to 1835, and 26% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 68% of U.S. towns. What drives it

1835founded
0on the National Register
26%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Belmont began

When was Belmont founded?

1835

Belmont dates its founding to 1835 (Wikidata). Its post office opened in 1836.

2020 census: 989191 years

How historic is Belmont?

B+

More historic than 68% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1836.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Belmont’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Belmont is more historic than 68% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.

B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Belmont’s overall grade.
Founding era1835, from Wikidata: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 194026.1% of homes (±6.2) · typical WI town 12.1% · U.S. 8.4%A−National RegisterNo listings counted · typical WI town 3.0 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 68%
NewerOlder

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 Belmont’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 any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B− to A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±6.2 points). Two sources give 1835.

Founding year: Wikidata (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 Belmont’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Belmont are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Deep rootsEstablished in 1835: 191 years of Belmont.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Belmont’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Belmont’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Timeline

Belmont, 1835 to 1858

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1835
    FoundingBelmont is established
  3. 1836Post officeThe Belmont post office opens
  4. 1850Post officeThe Belmont post office closes
  5. 1858Post officeThe Belmont post office opens
The story

How Belmont came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Belmont.

Read it all →

Founded in 1835 by land speculator John Atchison, Belmont was the original capital of the Wisconsin Territory, and the original territorial capitol building is preserved several miles northwest of the village at First Capitol Historic Site. The village is adjacent to the Town of Belmont. The name Belmont comes from the French for "beautiful mountain", referencing three hills within the village.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Belmont, decade by decade

Today6 recent
Mound View RV2013Mound View RVGrain Silos in2013Grain Silos inGrain Bins In2013Grain Bins InFarm with Three Silos - panoramio (6)2013Farm with Three Silos - panoramio (6)Entering2013EnteringLakeview Farm2012Lakeview Farm
Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Belmont had its own post office from 1836 to 1850.

Belmont
1836–1850
Belmont
1858–today
18301930today

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Questions about Belmont’s history

What year was Belmont founded?

In 1835, according to Wikidata. Belmont’s post office opened in 1836.

How does Belmont rank for history?

Belmont is more historic than 68% 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 Belmont?

26% of Belmont’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.2 points), against a typical 12% for a Wisconsin town; the median home was built in 1971.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

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 (6), Wikipedia, 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.