More historic than 44% of U.S. towns · #228 of 362 in Wisconsin. What drives it
Most of Geneva was built recently: 7% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1982. Below: 9 old photos and papers, maps from 1893 on, and old-book passages.
The Geneva post office opened in 1839, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Como (1894), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
2020 census: 5,390187 years
How historic is Geneva?
C+
More historic than 44% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Geneva post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).
History grade
What drives Geneva’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Geneva is more historic than 44% of U.S. towns, #228 of 362 in Wisconsin. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Geneva’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 Geneva’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 (±2.9 points) is firm at this size. 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 Geneva’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 Geneva yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Geneva is a town in Walworth County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 5,390 at the 2020 census. The census-designated place of Como is located in the town. The unincorporated community of Lake Como is also located in the town.
Its first post office opened in 1839. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 4,993 to 5,390 (+8%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
From the old history books
What they wrote about Geneva, 1882–1897
Passages that mention Geneva, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Walworth County, Wisconsin, containing an account of its settlement, growth, development and resources...its war record, biographical sketches, portraits of prominent men and early settlers1882 · page 950Read the page →
Read the text
The town of Linn is designated in the Government survey as Town 1, Range 17 east. It is bounded, north by the town of Geneva ; east by Bloomfield ; south by the State line ; and west by the town of Walworth. It was formerly embraced in the town of Geneva, as established in 1838, which at that time took in the four townships making the south-east quarter of the county, viz.: Bloomfield, Hudson, Geneva and Linn. It was set off and incorporated as a town, under its present name, by act of the Territorial Legislature, January 23, 1844. It was named in honor of Senator Linn, an early patriotic statesman of Missouri.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Annals of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, 1835-18971897 · page 94Read the page →
Read the text
In 1844 the old town of Geneva was divided into four parts; township 2 of range 17, with live acres from the township adjoining it on the east, retaining the name of Geneva; township 1 of range 17, in which lies the greater part of Geneva lake, taking the name of Linn; township 1 of range 18, that of Bloomfield; and township 2 of the same range (less the five acres added to Geneva) that of Hudson. Another Hudson having sprung up in the northwestern part of the State, ours has
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Walworth County, Wisconsin, containing an account of its settlement, growth, development and resources...its war record, biographical sketches, portraits of prominent men and early settlers1882Read the page →
Read the text
to give up the arduous responsibilities of the position. For a time he traveled in the then new Western country to recuperate his health, and then returned to Cooperstown, where he followed the occupation of book-keeper for several years. In 1842, having lost his wife, became West, and first settled on a farm of 160 acres, on Section 31, in what is now the town of Lyons. It was adjacent to the village of Geneva, and in 1844, five acres, on which was his homestead, was annexed by special act of the Legislature to the village of Geneva. Thus, though identified with the village since his settlement in 1842, he did not become a resident of the town until 1844. He kept posses.sion of his farm for many years — perhaps until 1854. He soon after his settlement became a clerk in Spafard's store, and was elected a Justice of the
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Annals of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, 1835-18971897 · page 60Read the page →
Read the text
ing acts in 1858 and 1860, and were again extended by an act of 1867, so as to embrace all of section 36, the south half of section twenty-five, the southeast quarter of section twenty-six, and the east half of section thirty-five, in the town of Geneva, with the five acres above mentioned from the town of Lyons. None of these additions had been platted into residence or business lots when
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.
By decade
Geneva, decade by decade
3 decades in the archive, from the 1880s to the 1920s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
The Geneva post office opened in 1839, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Geneva rank for history?
Geneva is more historic than 44% of U.S. towns, #228 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 Geneva?
7% of Geneva’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.9 points), against a typical 12% for a Wisconsin town; the median home was built in 1982.
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 (2), the Library of Congress (9), 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.
![Lake Geneva, Wis., residence of Mr. Conrad Seip [Seir ?]](https://images.townratings.com/story/35329/d1e0cf58ee8aa1a6e57d-s.jpg)
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1880![Lake Geneva, Wis. from Kay's [sic] Park](https://images.townratings.com/story/35329/1201948092e010705297-s.jpg)
1898
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1929
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