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C−History
History · Greenfield

Half of Greenfield’s homes were built after 1994

More historic than 23% of U.S. towns. What drives it

Most of Greenfield was built recently: 7% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1994. Below: maps from 1927 on and the census since 1980.

0on the National Register
7%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

About Greenfield’s history

How historic is Greenfield?

C−

More historic than 23% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
History grade

What drives Greenfield’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Greenfield is more historic than 23% 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 Greenfield’s overall grade.
Founding eraNo founding year we can rely on, so the grade uses the other two–Homes built before 19407.0% of homes (±3.3) · typical WI town 12.1% · U.S. 8.4%C+National RegisterNo listings counted · typical WI town 3.0 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 23%
NewerOlder

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 Greenfield’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 (±3.3 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 Greenfield’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Greenfield are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Greenfield’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Greenfield’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story so far

Greenfield, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Greenfield yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Greenfield is a town in La Crosse County, Wisconsin, United States. It is part of the La Crosse Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,187 as of the 2020 census, up from 2,060 at the 2010 census. The census-designated place of St. Joseph is located in the town.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 2,060 to 2,187 (+6%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

Timeline

Greenfield, 1875 to 1927

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1875Post officeThe Saint Joseph post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1919Post officeThe Saint Joseph post office closes
  5. 1927On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Greenfield, decade by decade

Today3 recent
Town of2024Town ofTown of Greenfield, Wisconsin-32024Town of Greenfield, Wisconsin-3Town of Greenfield, Wisconsin-22024Town of Greenfield, Wisconsin-2
On the map

Greenfield on the map, 1927 to 1963

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Greenfield. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Greenfield on the 1927 USGS mapGreenfield on the 1930 USGS mapGreenfield on the 1963 USGS map1927La Crosse sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Greenfield.

People over time

Greenfield, census by census

05001,0001,5002,00019802000Peak: 2,060

Between 1,512 and 2,060 people in every census since 1980.

4 censuses, 1980–2010.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Greenfield’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

Famous people close to Greenfield

Nobody well known was born in Greenfield itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Joseph LoseyAmerican filmmaker and theatre director · b. 1909
Charles DierkopAmerican actor · b. 1936
Ford SterlingAmerican comedian · b. 1882
Hamlin GarlandAmerican novelist, poet, essayist, short story … · b. 1860
John TolandAmerican writer · b. 1912
William HauberActor · b. 1891
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Another post office, Saint Joseph, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Saint Joseph
Gone or out of use
Grandview SchoolschoolOber QuarryminePershing SchoolschoolSaint Joseph Schoolschool
1cemetery inside Greenfield
Saint Joseph Ridge Catholic

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Shelby2 historic placesB−WashingtonIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townHamburg1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townBarreIts storyC+

Questions about Greenfield’s history

How does Greenfield rank for history?

Greenfield is more historic than 23% 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 Greenfield?

7% of Greenfield’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.3 points), against a typical 12% for a Wisconsin town; the median home was built in 1994.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

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 (3), 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.