Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
More historic than 45% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Below: maps from 1902 on and the census since 1910.
Stratford dates its founding to 1891 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1910.
More historic than 45% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Stratford is more historic than 45% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull 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 Stratford’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.
Founding year: Wikipedia (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 Stratford’s history is told.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Stratford. 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 Stratford.
From Wikipedia’s history of Stratford.
Stratford was platted in 1891 when the railroad was extended to that point. The village was named after Stratford-upon-Avon, in England.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention Stratford, cut from the printed page as they were published.
The Chicago & Northwestern enters this town one-half a mile southwest from Fenwood and leaves the town at Stratford on the west. On the south side of the town is situated a railroad, running east from Stratford to section 10 in township 27, range 5 east, in town of Emmett. It was originally built as a logging railroad by the Connor Company to supply their mill at Stratford with logs, but it was obliged to incorporate under the law as a general railroad in order to exercise the right of eminent domain.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
There is a Ladies' Society, a Young Men's Society, a male and a mixed choir. The same pastor also founded the St. Peter's congregation in Fenwood as a mission from Wausau and another at Stratford. The original congregation in the town of Wien celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary in 19 10; it has a membership of 115 families in the town of Wien, 56 in the village of Stratford and 10 in Fenwood. The congregations are served by the same pastor, who has been the resident minister in the town of Wien for the last twenty-three years, and they live in the utmost harmony.
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.
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological SurveyGrew from 763 people in 1910 to 1,581 in 2020.
12 censuses, 1910–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Stratford’s Wikipedia page.
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
In 1891, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Stratford’s post office opened in 1892, and the census of 1910 counted 763 people here.
Stratford is more historic than 45% 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.
25% of Stratford’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.3 points), against a typical 12% for a Wisconsin town; the median home was built in 1976.
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 (1), 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.
2004