On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Cleveland 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 Cleveland’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 Cleveland’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 (±6.5 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 Cleveland’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 Cleveland. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1902Marathon sheet · 1:125,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Cleveland.
The story so far
Cleveland, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Cleveland yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Cleveland is a town in Marathon County, Wisconsin, United States. It is part of the Wausau, Wisconsin Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,486 at the 2020 census. The unincorporated community of Bradley is located in the town.
Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 1,488 in 2010, 1,486 in 2020.
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
From the old history books
What they wrote about Cleveland in 1913
Passages that mention Cleveland, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Marathon County, Wisconsin1913 · page 160Read the page →
Read the text
A logging railroad was built from Stratford into the town of Cleveland, which later incorporated as a railway corporation, and will reach Mosinee in no distant time.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Marathon County, Wisconsin1913 · page 134Read the page →
Read the text
gone there from Weeks mill on the Eau Plain river; their beginning dates back to about 1868. These settlers have died or removed, and the last one of them known to be in Marathon county, Mr. Beach, died at the farm of his son in the town of Cleveland in 19 12. The only outlet for these farmers was the saw mill of John Weeks, and from there up to Mosinee, or later to the railroad station Dancy.
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
Cleveland, 1891 to 1902
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Cleveland 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 Cleveland?
18% of Cleveland’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.5 points), against a typical 12% for a Wisconsin town; the median home was built in 1979.
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.
