Cudahy’s post office opened in 1893, and 22% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 64% of U.S. towns · #145 of 362 in Wisconsin. What drives it
Its Register listings are the Cudahy Chicago and North Western Railway Depot and the Holy Family Roman Catholic Church Complex. Below: maps from 1891 on and the census since 1900.
Founding year: the first Cudahy post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Cudahy’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Cudahy is more historic than 64% of U.S. towns, #145 of 362 in Wisconsin. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Cudahy’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 Cudahy’s 2.2 sits near the middle of its state (59% of Wisconsin towns have fewer) while its 4 historic buildings outnumber those of 68% 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 (±3.9 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 Cudahy’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Originally known as the Buckhorn Settlement, it was renamed in the late 1800s when Patrick Cudahy purchased 700 acres (280 ha) of land in the Town of Lake, two miles (three kilometers) from the Milwaukee city limits, to build his meatpacking plant. The first village president was elected in 1895, and by 1906 Cudahy was incorporated as a city with a population of 2,556.
The Cudahy post office opened in 1893, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Cudahy rank for history?
Cudahy is more historic than 64% of U.S. towns, #145 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.
What is on the National Register in Cudahy?
Two places: the Cudahy Chicago and North Western Railway Depot (listed 2013) and the Holy Family Roman Catholic Church Complex (2021).
How old are the homes in Cudahy?
22% of Cudahy’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.9 points), against a typical 12% for a Wisconsin town; the median home was built in 1962.
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), the National Register of Historic Places (2), 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) 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.