Half of Pleasant Valley’s homes were built after 1995
More historic than 23% of U.S. towns · #322 of 362 in Wisconsin. What drives it
Most of Pleasant Valley was built recently: 7% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1995. Below: maps from 1927 on and the census since 1940.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Pleasant Valley is more historic than 23% of U.S. towns, #322 of 362 in Wisconsin. 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 Pleasant Valley’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 Pleasant Valley’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 (±6.9 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 Pleasant Valley’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Pleasant Valley
HadleyvilleZion
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
The story so far
Pleasant Valley, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Pleasant Valley yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Pleasant Valley is a town in Eau Claire County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 3,791 at the 2020 census. The town government is headquartered in the unincorporated community of Cleghorn. The remains of the historic community of Hadleyville are also located in the town.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 3,044 to 3,791 (+25%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
From the old history books
What they wrote about Pleasant Valley in 1914
Passages that mention Pleasant Valley, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Eau Claire county, Wisconsin, past and present1914 · page 558Read the page →
Read the text
Mr. Keiser served as district clerk, agent and director of Fall Creek Farmers' Mutual Fire Insurance Company, and director of Pleasant Valley Creamery Company. He owns and works a nice farm in the town of Pleasant Valley. William Bartig was born December 7, 1859, at Wolsko, Prussia, Germany. His parents were both born at the same place, and were Christoph Bartig and Louise (Wahrman) Bartig. He came to America and settled in Eau Claire county in 1882 and
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Eau Claire county, Wisconsin, past and present1914 · page 679Read the page →
Read the text
Louis E. Cleghorn grew to manhood in Pleasant Valley township, attended the common schools and worked with his father on the farm until 1889. when he purchased a farm of 80 acres and commenced farming on his own account and which he siiccessfully conducted until 1904 when he moved to the city of Eau Claire. Soon after taking up his residence in the citj% he opened a restaurant and lunch room and later built a lunch car wliich he stationed on River street. Meeting with success in this line of
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.
Timeline
Pleasant Valley, 1877 to 1927
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Pleasant Valley. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1927Strum 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 Pleasant Valley.
People over time
Pleasant Valley, census by census
Grew from 911 people in 1940 to 3,791 in 2020, 4 times over.
9 censuses, 1940–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Pleasant Valley’s Wikipedia page.
Famous people
Famous people close to Pleasant Valley
Nobody well known was born in Pleasant Valley itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
Pleasant Valley is more historic than 23% of U.S. towns, #322 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 Pleasant Valley?
7% of Pleasant Valley’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.9 points), against a typical 12% for a Wisconsin town; the median home was built in 1995.
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 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.
