More historic than 27% of U.S. towns · #305 of 362 in Wisconsin. What drives it
Most of Bristol was built recently: 9% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1999. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1962 on, and old-book passages.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Bristol is more historic than 27% of U.S. towns, #305 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 Bristol’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 Bristol’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 (±4.1 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 Bristol’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 Bristol yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Bristol is a town in Dane County, Wisconsin, United States, located just north of the city of Sun Prairie and 15 miles northeast of Madison. The population was 4,447 at the 2020 census. The unincorporated communities of Bakers Corners, East Bristol, and North Bristol are located in the town.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 3,765 to 4,447 (+18%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
From the old history books
What they wrote about Bristol in 1877
Passages that mention Bristol, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Madison, Dane County and surrounding towns1877 · page 317Read the page →
Read the text
by Moses Vervalen, smd he by Joshua Boyles, the present thrifty and enterprising owner. John Ostrander early transferred his home to the present town of Bristol and became one of the first settlers of the Northumberland neighborhood. The township, exclusive of the village, has at present a population of about sixteen hundred, who are devoted solely to agricultural pursuits. The New England characteristics
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Madison, Dane County and surrounding towns1877 · page 380Read the page →
Read the text
The town of Bristol is about tliirteen miles from Madison, the center being nearly midway between Madison and Columbus. It lies on the northern boundary of Dane county, which is separated by the town of Hampden from Columbia county, and is known on the government survey as township 9 north, of range 11 east. It was formerly a part of Sun Prairie.
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
Bristol, 1868 to 1962
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Bristol is more historic than 27% of U.S. towns, #305 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 Bristol?
9% of Bristol’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.1 points), against a typical 12% for a Wisconsin town; the median home was built in 1999.
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 (7), the Library of Congress (1), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.
Date?
2024
2013
2013
2013
2013
2009
2004
