Saratoga’s post office opened in 1855, and 2 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 45% of U.S. towns · #225 of 362 in Wisconsin. What drives it
Most of Saratoga was built recently: 8% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1977. Its Register listings are the Wakeley's Tavern and the Wakely Road Bridge. Below: maps from 1967 on.
Founding year: the first Saratoga post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Saratoga’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Saratoga is more historic than 45% of U.S. towns, #225 of 362 in Wisconsin. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Saratoga’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 Saratoga’s 3.9 sits near the middle of its state (64% of Wisconsin towns have fewer) while its 2 listings outnumber those of 60% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±6.1 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
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 →
What stands out about Saratoga’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The west end of the town of Saratoga, within three miles of the Wisconsin River, was in the "Indian strip," ceded by the Menominee to the U.S. government in the 1836 Treaty of the Cedars. As such, it was logged and surveyed earlier than the surrounding land. In 1839 a crew working for the U.S. government first surveyed what would become part of the town, walking through the woods and crossing the river, measuring with chain and compass. In 1851 a different crew surveyed the section lines. For the six mile square township that now is the western part of the town, see the deputy surveyor's description under Port Edwards. For the eastern township, the deputy gave this general description:
The Saratoga post office opened in 1855, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Saratoga rank for history?
Saratoga is more historic than 45% of U.S. towns, #225 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.
What is on the National Register in Saratoga?
Two places: the Wakeley's Tavern (listed 1974) and the Wakely Road Bridge (2001).
How old are the homes in Saratoga?
8% of Saratoga’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.1 points), against a typical 12% for a Wisconsin town; the median home was built in 1977.
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 the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.
