Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
More historic than 37% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Below: maps from 1969 on and old-book passages.
More historic than 37% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Caledonia is more historic than 37% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
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 Caledonia’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.
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 →
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Caledonia’s history is told.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Caledonia yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Caledonia is a town in Waupaca County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,712 at the 2020 census. The unincorporated communities of North Readfield and Readfield are located in the town.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 1,627 to 1,712 (+5%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Passages that mention Caledonia, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Sections 19, 20, 21, 22, and 23, and the north half of Sections 29 and 30, of the same township. It is bounded on the north by the Town of Royalton, on the east by Caledonia and Fremont, on the south by Fremont, and on the west by Lind. The first settlement was made by Henry Turtellott, Amos Dodge, and M. Lewis, in 1848.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The Towm of Caledonia originally consisted of Township 21, Range 14, but when the Town of Fremont was formed. Sections 17, 18, 19, 20, 29, 30, 31, and 32 were taken therefrom and attached to Fremont.
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.
Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Caledonia. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Caledonia.
Nobody well known was born in Caledonia itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
Caledonia is more historic than 37% 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.
14% of Caledonia’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.2 points), against a typical 12% for a Wisconsin town; the median home was built in 1989.
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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 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.
