The Cuba City post office opened in 1875, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Cuba (1895), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
First census: 48 in 18802020 census: 2,138151 years
How historic is Cuba City?
B−
More historic than 48% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Cuba City post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Cuba City’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Cuba City is more historic than 48% 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 Cuba City’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 Cuba City’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 C− to B. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±7.0 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (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 Cuba City’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The history of the city began in 1836, when John Amie Merle and Mathais Comstock purchased 160 acres (65 ha) of land from the American Government in Grant County. The first structure in the community was erected in 1846 by Jack Deboard. Deboard is considered the first settler in Cuba City.
The name "Yuba City" was finally picked after a dispute about the name of the new village, but after discovering another location had already been given that name, a new name, "Cuba City," was selected.
The community incorporated as a village in Grant County only in 1894. The village incorporated as a city in 1925 and annexed into Lafayette County between 1960 and 1970.
Passages that mention Cuba City, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Grant County Wisconsin1900 · page 741Read the page →
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sion of the Benton parish at St. Rose, now a railroad station about a mile and a half north of Cuba City. A small church was built there in 1852. In 1894 a fine brick church was built in Cuba City at a cost of $13,000. The congregation consists of about forty-five Irish and twenty German families. Services are held every Sunday by the pas¬ tor resident at Benton. The congregation maintains branches of the Catholic Order of Foresters, Catholic Knights, and Holy Rosary and Temperance Societies.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Grant County Wisconsin1900 · page 742Read the page →
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This is a mile and a half north of Cuba City. In 1852 a small Catholic church was erected here, giving a name to the place. In 1853 Marsh Lukey kept a hotel in the brick house at the station, now a residence. In December, 1874, J. V. Donohoo laid out a village here with the understanding (or, as it proved, misunderstanding) that it was to be the only station on the road between Galena and Benton.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
[History of Grant County, Wisconsin, preceded by a history of Wisconsin1881 · page 832Read the page →
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Equidistant between Cuba City and Elmo, and the eldest of the three, is St. Rose, so named by the Rev. Father Samuel Mozzuchelli, thirty-two years ago, when he purchased land and founded St. Rose Church. The first settlers in the vicinity were J. V. Donohoo, John O'Niell and Joseph Banfield. In 1853, Mark Lukey kept tavern in the brick house near the railroad crossing. The railroad was surveyed through here in 1870, graded in 1872, and its building commenced two years later. In December, 1874, J. V. Donohoo set apart ten acres of land on Section 25 for village purposes, and caused it to be laid out into lots upon the express understanding that St. Rose should be the only station between Platteville and Benton, Mathew Mur-
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
Cuba City, 1875 to 1961
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Cuba City.
Every building
Cuba City, building by building, 1900–1908
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
1900Sheet 1 of 1
Edition
Sheets
BrickWoodStone
Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
People over time
Cuba City, census by census
Between 48 and 2,156 people in every census since 1880.
14 censuses, 1880–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Cuba City’s Wikipedia page.
Famous people
2 famous people were born in Cuba City
Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.
The Cuba City post office opened in 1875, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Cuba City rank for history?
Cuba City is more historic than 48% 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 Cuba City?
28% of Cuba City’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.0 points), against a typical 12% for a Wisconsin town; the median home was built in 1970.
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 (12), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) 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.
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