Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
More historic than 60% of U.S. towns · #158 of 362 in Wisconsin. What drives it
Most of New Berlin was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1978. Below: maps from 1891 on and the census since 1960.
The New Berlin post office opened in 1837, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1840. Three smaller post offices, Prospect Hill (1851), Calhoun (1882) and Prospect (1883), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
More historic than 60% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, New Berlin is more historic than 60% of U.S. towns, #158 of 362 in Wisconsin. Its age holds 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 New Berlin’s 1.5 sits near the middle of its state (59% of Wisconsin towns have fewer) while its 6 historic buildings outnumber those of 72% of U.S. towns.
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 →
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 New Berlin’s history is told.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of New Berlin. 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 New Berlin.
New Berlin had its own post office from 1837 to 1971. Three other post offices 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).
From Wikipedia’s history of New Berlin.
The first settlers, Sidney Evans and P.G. Harrington, arrived in the northeastern part of what is now New Berlin in 1836. The area first came under local government in 1838 as part of the Town of Muskego, which at the time was composed of New Berlin and Muskego. The area that is now New Berlin was separated from Muskego in 1839 and named the Town of Mentor.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Born hereWilliam Henry Seaman is born here
BuiltFreewill Baptist Church is built
BuiltEnoch Gardner and Mary Caroline Koch Needham House is built
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
2023West Greenfield Avenue, New Berlin (October 2023) 01
2022Picture of Elmwood
2022Orchard Lane Elementary School
2021Milwaukee Astronomical Society Observatory Grounds - …
2016Walmart
2016Highland Memory Park
2016Highland Memorial Park
2013MAS Observatory Grounds
2012Enoch Gardner and Mary Caroline Koch Needham House, N…
2008NewBerlinWestHS FromNWThe 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 15,788 people in 1960 to 40,451 in 2020.
7 censuses, 1960–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on New Berlin’s Wikipedia page.
Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
The New Berlin post office opened in 1837, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1840.
New Berlin is more historic than 60% of U.S. towns, #158 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.
4 listings: 3 buildings, among them the Gredler-Gramins House (listed 1980, the first), and 1 site. 6 historic buildings in all.
4% of New Berlin’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.2 points), against a typical 12% for a Wisconsin town; the median home was built in 1978.
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 (10), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (4), 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.
