The story so far
Medary, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Medary yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 1,461 to 1,604 (+10%).
B−History
History · Medary
2 of Medary’s places are on the National Register
More historic than 50% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Its Register listings are the Smith Valley School and the Razy and John Wright House. Most of Medary was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1982. Below: maps from 1927 on and the census since 1980.
2on the National Register
5%homes built before 1940
Quick answers
About Medary’s history
How historic is Medary?
B−
What drives the grade ↓More historic than 50% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
History grade
What drives Medary’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Medary is more historic than 50% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Medary’s overall grade.
Founding eraNo founding year we can rely on, so the grade uses the other two–Homes built before 19405.0% of homes (±3.5) · typical WI town 12.1% · U.S. 8.4%CNational Register2 listings, 13.2 per 10,000 residents · typical WI town 3.0 · U.S. 2.4B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 50%
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 Medary’s 13.2 sits above most of its state (79% of Wisconsin towns have fewer) while its 2 listings outnumber those of 60% 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 (±3.5 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 Medary’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
★ What stands out · Help out
Start Medary’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Medary’s history is told.
Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.By decade
Medary, decade by decade
Today2 recent
2023
2004On the map
Medary on the map, 1927 to 1993
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Medary. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1927La Crosse sheet · 1:62,500U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Medary.
On the National Register
2 historic places in Medary
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
2
each building in a district counts
first listed
1981
Smith Valley School
Buildings
All 2 listings
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
People over time
Medary, census by census
Between 1,461 and 2,333 people in every census since 1980.
4 censuses, 1980–2010.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Medary’s Wikipedia page.
Famous people
See all →Famous people close to Medary
Nobody well known was born in Medary itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
Places that used to be
Places now gone
Gone or out of use
Medary SchoolschoolSmith Valley Schoolschool
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.
Questions about Medary’s history
How does Medary rank for history?
Medary is more historic than 50% 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.
What is on the National Register in Medary?
Two places: the Smith Valley School (listed 1981) and the Razy and John Wright House (2021).
How old are the homes in Medary?
5% of Medary’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.5 points), against a typical 12% for a Wisconsin town; the median home was built in 1982.
Memory lane
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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 (2), the National Register of Historic Places (2), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) 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.