Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Below: maps from 1894 on and the census since 1880.
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 Westfield’s history is told.
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
1894Sheet 1 of 1Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
From Wikipedia’s history of Westfield.
The village was originally settled and laid out by Hungarian-American immigrant Agoston Haraszthy. It was first named "Széptáj"—Hungarian for "beautiful landscape"—and was later renamed "Haraszthy", in honor of the village founder. In 1849, the Legislature renamed the village "Westfield".
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention Westfield, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Oborox Wabhinoton Noblb, s. of Samuel, was b. in Westfield, Mass., Aug. 6, 1798, and there d. Not. 9, 1871, m. 73. He was a farmer, and resided one mile west of Morley*s bridge, in Westfield, on his father's homestead, near the County bridge.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
RuTB NoBLX, dau. of Ideut Stephen, was b. in Westfield, Mass., June 1, 1756, and d. in Montgomery, Mass., Nov. 16, 1790, sb. 34. * She m. 1779, Mastim Boot of Westfield; s. of Martin and Eunice (Lamb) Boot He was b. Feb. 20, 1 753, accd. to the family record, but Mch. 11, 1753, accd. to the record of the town of Westfield.
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 Survey
2014Westfield Wisconsin downtown looking west
2014Westfield Wisconsin Area High School
2014Westfield Grain Elevator
2014Westfield Cell ^ Communication Tower
2014Westfield Cell Tower
2014Westfield Cell Tower - panoramio (1)
2014Rest Area 81
2014McDonald's® - panoramio (33)
2014Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church
2014Emmanuel Lutheran Church
2014Dairy Farm with Five Silos - panoramio (4)
2014Cell Tower North ofEvery edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Westfield. 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 Westfield.
Grew from 283 people in 1880 to 1,302 in 2020, 4 times over.
14 censuses, 1880–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Westfield’s Wikipedia page.
Another post office, Lawrence, 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).
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
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). How TownRatings grades history →
From Wikimedia Commons (12), Wikipedia, 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, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) 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.
