On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Trenton is more historic than 61% of U.S. towns, #155 of 362 in Wisconsin. All 2 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its share of homes from before 1940 ranks highest and its National Register listings lowest.
B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Trenton’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 Trenton’s 2.2 sits near the middle of its state (59% of Wisconsin towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% 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 (±9.1 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 Trenton’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Potawatomi and Menominee Native Americans lived along the Milwaukee River until the 1830s. In 1836, land speculators, including Milwaukee founder Solomon Juneau bought land in what would become the Town of Trenton. However, permanent settlers did not arrive in the area until 1845. Many of the early settlers were German immigrant farmers. Dairy farming has been the main economic activity for much of the town's history, and the Wallau Dairy Company of West Bend operated a large cheese factory on the town's west side in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Trenton is more historic than 61% of U.S. towns, #155 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 Trenton?
One place: the St. Augustine Catholic Church and Cemetery (listed 1990).
How old are the homes in Trenton?
14% of Trenton’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±9.1 points), against a typical 12% for a Wisconsin town; the median home was built in 1974.
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 Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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.
