Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
More historic than 42% of U.S. towns · #234 of 362 in Wisconsin. What drives it
Most of McFarland was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1989. 3 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 1 buildings. Below: maps from 1890 on and the census since 1880.
McFarland dates its founding to 1856 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1880.
More historic than 42% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, McFarland is more historic than 42% of U.S. towns, #234 of 362 in Wisconsin. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
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 McFarland’s 3.3 sits near the middle of its state (63% of Wisconsin towns have fewer) while its 3 listings outnumber those of 65% of U.S. towns.
Founding year: Wikidata (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 →
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how McFarland’s history is told.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of McFarland. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of McFarland.
From Wikipedia’s history of McFarland.
The Village of McFarland has several burial mounds from the Woodland period, collectively known as the Lewis Mound Group, located within Indian Mound Park.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention McFarland, cut from the printed page as they were published.
The village of McFarland was laid out in 1856, and named after W. H. McFarland. The Milwaukee & Prairie Du Chien Railroad Company had previously built a depot, about one and a quarter miles south of the present site, but, not having land enough, and being asked exorbitant prices for adjacent lands, they moved the depot to where it now stands.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
abundance. In live stock it is one of the leading towns, having fine breeds of horses, cattle, sheep and hogs. Pleasant Springs finds market for its produce in Madison, Stoughton, McFarland, Edgerton, Fort Atkinson, Cambridge and Christiana, nearly all of which have fine milling privileges. The town haa two fine chnrches, and six school houses, one of which was built and furnished, with apparatus and a fine
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.
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
BuiltMcFarland House is built
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
Born hereConrad Elvehjem is born here
BuiltWaubesa School is built
Born hereJana Schneider is born hereThe country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Grew from 168 people in 1880 to 8,991 in 2020, more than tenfold.
12 censuses, 1880–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on McFarland’s Wikipedia page.
Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.
McFarland’s post office has been open since 1924. Another post office, Macfarland, opened and closed inside today’s town.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
In 1856, according to Wikidata. McFarland’s post office opened in 1857, and the census of 1880 counted 168 people here.
McFarland is more historic than 42% of U.S. towns, #234 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.
Three places: the McFarland House (listed 1988), the Waubesa School (1997) and the Edwards-Larson House (2021).
6% of McFarland’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.6 points), against a typical 12% for a Wisconsin town; the median home was built in 1989.
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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 (4), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (3), 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 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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