25 Counties That Have The Most Pre-war Homes In Their States

Many people love the idea of owning a home that preserves a piece of history. But what are your actual chances of finding one in today's market?

Many historic homes date back to the prewar era, meaning they were built before World War II. Houses in this era can come in various architectural styles, which also vary with the age of a city or county and what was in vogue at the time it was built. Prewar home styles include Colonial, Tudor, Georgian, Cape Cod, Georgian, Victorian, Edwardian, Craftsman and Art Deco.

Depending on where you want to live, it can be challenging to find a prewar home. About 11% of occupied homes in the U.S. were built before 1939. That said, older homes are easier to find on the East Coast, as it was the part of the country with many of the first residential communities. Many places on the East Coast also have large concentrations of prewar homes because there's not as much land for developers to build new homes.

But that doesn't mean you can't find prewar homes in the rest of the country. In every state, there are cities with rich histories like San Francisco, with its colorful Victorian homes, or South Dakota’s rural Douglas County, with its traditional farmhouses.

Rocket Homes examined Census Bureau data to find the top 25 counties that have the most prewar homes in their state, calculated by dividing the number of homes built before 1939 by all occupied housing units in that county. For this analysis, "prewar" refers to homes built in 1939 or earlier, based on how the Census Bureau collects data. States were ranked by the county that had the most share of prewar homes.

States with the largest share of prewar homes are largely on the East Coast and Midwest. Lincoln County, Kansas, has the highest percentage of prewar homes (56.4%) among the top counties in every state. Nebraska counties lead for the most share of prewar homes: The Cornhusker State has 21 counties where prewar homes comprise 40% or more of the share of occupied residences.

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Kansas: Lincoln County

- Share of homes built prewar: 56.4%
- Total prewar homes: 683

Traditionally a farming and ranching region, the development of the railroad helped grow the population in the area. Because wood was scarce, local limestone was used to construct fence posts and 1930s-era public construction projects, which earned the county's nickname of being the Post Rock Capital of the state. By the 1930s, however, the county's population was already declining—from a peak of 10,142 in 1910, there are now less than 3,000 living there, according to the Kansas Historical Society.

Missouri: St. Louis City

- Share of homes built prewar: 55.7%
- Total prewar homes: 78,585

As the gateway to the Louisiana Purchase, St. Louis became a major city in the push to settle the West in the first half of the 1800s. At the turn of the 20th century, St. Louis capitalized on the industrialization boom and hosted the 1904 World's Fair and Summer Olympic Games, which put it on the world stage. But the city's growth couldn't continue forever—an 1876 vote had fixed the city's boundaries and prevented the annexation of other towns, which proved devastating to the city in the 1950s when overcrowding and old housing stock that wasn't updated during the Great Depression spurred thousands to flee to the suburbs.

New York: Brooklyn (Kings County)

- Share of homes built prewar: 49.1%
- Total prewar homes: 483,777

First inhabited by the Lenape people, Dutch farmers arrived in this area in 1636. Brooklyn—which makes up the entirety of Kings County—became a major center for manufacturing and sugar refining. The development of the steamboat around 1814 made commuting to Manhattan much more accessible, so Manhattanites moved across the East River, setting off a building boom in Brooklyn. The mid-1800s saw the construction of many wood-framed homes and brick brownstones. The boom died in the mid-20th century as manufacturers left and—ironically—residents moved to more distant suburbs.

Nebraska: Greeley County

- Share of homes built prewar: 48.0%
- Total prewar homes: 439

Greeley County was settled in the 1870s by pioneers moving westward, a colony of Seventh-day Adventists who moved south from Wisconsin, and many Irish immigrants who moved there after the Irish Catholic Colonization Association purchased vast tracts of land for their relocation. Agricultural crops and cattle have been consistent economic drivers, along with the railroad that came through the county seat. The population peaked at 8,685 in 1920; in 2022, the population fell by 74%.

Massachusetts: Suffolk County

- Share of homes built prewar: 47.3%
- Total prewar homes: 149,171

Boston makes up most of Suffolk County, and as one of America's oldest cities, it celebrates its history through its housing stock. A building boom occurred in the mid-1800s when the city filled marshes and swamps to create the Back Bay neighborhood with its historic rowhouses. Developers today have to contend with the city's many development restrictions, including laws restricting buildings around Boston Common and the Public Garden from being so tall that they would cause shadows in the parks for more than one hour a day.

California: San Francisco County

- Share of homes built prewar: 45.2%
- Total prewar homes: 163,210

San Francisco is famous for its stately Victorian homes, the colorful "painted ladies" that can be found throughout the city. Much of this housing stock was built from the 1870s to 1890s, in the decades following the Gold Rush boom, which saw the city's population explode from less than 1,000 people to 25,000 within three years. When the earthquake of 1906 destroyed 28,000 buildings, much of the town was rebuilt, and other architectural styles came into vogue, including Mission Revival, Spanish Revival, and Mediterranean Revival.

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Iowa: Adams County

- Share of homes built prewar: 45.1%
- Total prewar homes: 689

In southwest Iowa, Adams County is a small rural county within two hours of the state capital, Des Moines; Omaha, Nebraska; and Kansas City. Some of its earliest settlers were the Icarians, a social movement that created a utopian community. The development of the railroad through the county spurred construction in the late 1800s and early 1900s, including the Corning Opera House, which is now on the National Register of Historic Places.

Michigan: Keweenaw County

- Share of homes built prewar: 43.7%
- Total prewar homes: 454

Michigan's northernmost county is also its least populated, with just under 2,200 people. Located in the Upper Peninsula, the development of the copper mining industry in the 1840s brought miners to the region, and the shipping industry followed in the 1860s after the Keweenaw Waterway was dredged. Natural resources are a priority for the county's residents—in 2022, the Nature Conservancy in Michigan purchased 32,600 acres of working forestland to preserve it for public access.

Pennsylvania: Schuylkill County

- Share of homes built prewar: 43.4%
- Total prewar homes: 24,657

Anthracite coal mining contributed to Schuylkill County's growth throughout the late 1800s and its decline. Companies brought in immigrant labor from Europe, but coal strikes in 1902 and 1925-1926 caused many workers to leave the region, hurting consumer confidence. New mining technologies and alternative heating sources led to the industry's collapse after World War II.

South Dakota: Douglas County

- Share of homes built prewar: 41.1%
- Total prewar homes: 448

The Great Dakota Boom helped settle this area of southeastern South Dakota. Settlers lured by the potential of the Homestead Act of 1862 could get 160 acres of land for free if they lived on it for five years. Towns built up here in the late 1880s, thanks to the development of the railroad, but the good times didn't last—Douglas County hit its peak population of 7,236 in 1930.

Indiana: Randolph County

- Share of homes built prewar: 39.6%
- Total prewar homes: 4,022

Established in 1818, Randolph County in east-central Indiana was known for abolitionism and was part of an Underground Railroad route. In the late 1800s, the industry thrived in the county due to the development of oil and natural gas industries, with glass and auto parts manufacturing following. As these industries dried up, the population shrunk, decreasing 6.4% to 24,502 in the 2020 Census.

Colorado: San Juan County

- Share of homes built prewar: 39.3%
- Total prewar homes: 128

In the late 1800s, San Juan County experienced a mining boom, bust, and revitalization, which brought more people to the highest county in elevation in the U.S. The county's rugged mountains have kept the population low, so new housing development wasn't a priority. That has changed in recent years, as COVID-19-pandemic-fueled demand from people trying to relocate to the area caused housing prices to skyrocket.

Washington: Garfield County

- Share of homes built prewar: 38.9%
- Total prewar homes: 391

This area of southeastern Washington officially became a county in 1881, although settlers had been in the region throughout the 1800s. Primarily an agricultural area, the development of the railroads in the late 1800s did boost some—but not all—of the town's fortunes. The Panic of 1893 hurt the region, and several fires significantly damaged Pataha City and Pomeroy. Technology was a boon to the farming industry in the 1910s and 1920s. Still, the Great Depression wiped out those gains, causing a population drain and helping cement the county's status as the least populous in the state, a title it still holds today.

Minnesota: Lac qui Parle County

- Share of homes built prewar: 38.8%
- Total prewar homes: 1,103

Located in western Minnesota along the South Dakota border, Lac qui Parle County is a rural area originally part of the Dakota tribe and settled by the French in the early 1800s. The county was established in 1871. Many prominent buildings were built in the county going into the 20th century, including the courthouse in 1899 and a National Guard armory in 1914. After reaching a peak population of 15,509 in 1940, this rural county's population has fallen by nearly 57%.

Hawaii: Kalawao County

- Share of homes built prewar: 38.7%
- Total prewar homes: 12

The smallest county by area in the entire country, Kalawao County occupies 12 square miles on the island of Moloka'i, Hawaii's fifth-largest island. The county is located on the north coast on the Kalaupapa peninsula, which is cut off from the rest of the island by a sheer cliff almost 2,000 feet tall. In the 1800s, leprosy—now known as Hansen's disease—had become an epidemic in Hawaii; to combat its spread, King Kamehameha V approved Kalawao as a place to segregate people who had contracted the disease. Between 1900 and 1945, a large-scale construction program took place. Still, none of the homes will ever be for sale, as the only residents of the county are former patients, who are allowed to live out their lives at the colony, which has now become a National Historical Park.

North Dakota: Golden Valley County

- Share of homes built prewar: 38.7%
- Total prewar homes: 278

Golden Valley County had as many as 22 towns at one time, but today, only three remain. Located on the Montana border, the county settled in the early 1900s, as work on the U.S. Land Survey started, which would allow homesteading in the region. County seat Beach quickly grew from 1905 to 1915 to serve the newcomers and the burgeoning grain industry, but then the growth was over as quickly as it started, and many communities in the county became ghost towns.

Virginia: Lexington City

- Share of homes built prewar: 38.5%
- Total prewar homes: 772

This city is an independent entity within—though also serving as the seat of—Rockbridge County in the central Shenandoah Valley. It's home to Washington and Lee University, established in 1790 as Liberty Hall Academy, and Virginia Military Institute, established in 1839. The city did not escape the Civil War unscathed—it was a target of Union troops in 1864. After that war, the Reconstruction era brought instability to the region, but the development of the railroad industry and a real estate boom in the late 1800s brought more growth.

Texas: Terrell County

- Share of homes built prewar: 37.8%
- Total prewar homes: 161

When Terrell County was created in 1905, the railroad had already arrived in the Big Bend area of southwestern Texas. Ranching drove the economy in the county's early days and helped drive the population. However, the population peaked at 3,189 in 1950 and started declining as railroad jobs disappeared and people moved to cities for work.

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Illinois: Stark County

- Share of homes built prewar: 36.6%
- Total prewar homes: 828

Stark County is a small agricultural community located north of Peoria in central Illinois. European immigrants flocked here in the 1800s, but the county reached its peak population of 11,207 in 1880. It's been dealing with population decline for decades, and the 2020 Census counted just 5,400 residents.

Montana: Silver Bow County

- Share of homes built prewar: 36.0%
- Total prewar homes: 5,414

The discovery of gold, silver, and copper in the late 1800s brought thousands of people to Silver Bow County and Butte, its central city. The mining industry thrived, and other sectors, including the railroad, spurred the county's growth until 1920. Consolidation and technological advances meant mining companies needed fewer workers, causing migration from the area.

New Hampshire: Coos County

- Share of homes built prewar: 35.7%
- Total prewar homes: 4,856

Founded in 1771, New Hampshire's northernmost county comprises about 20% of the state's land area but less than 3% of its population. However, if you're counting the state's moose and bears, Coos County is home to over half of those populations. Two primary industries helped the county grow in the late 1800s: tourism and paper. The railroad brought people north to the grand hotels of the White Mountains, and abundant forests provided material for pulp and paper mills. The rise of the automobile in the early 1900s took tourists elsewhere, and the paper mills that provided good-paying jobs in the early 20th century slowly closed, hurting the local economy.

Vermont: Rutland County

- Share of homes built prewar: 35.5%
- Total prewar homes: 8,880

Rutland County can trace its roots back to before the Revolutionary War. In the 1830s, marble quarrying became a prominent industry, followed by the development of the railroad. Industrialization in the late 1800s to early 1900s helped the county become the world's largest producer of marble.

Rhode Island: Providence County

- Share of homes built prewar: 35.1%
- Total prewar homes: 87,514

Going back to 1636, Providence County has centuries of history, reflected in the number of historical homes in the area. In the 1700s, it played a significant role in trade. After the Civil War, the rise of the wool and jewelry industries led to another building boom that produced many Colonial Revival- and Queen Anne-style homes. The decline of industry in Provincetown spurred people to move to the suburbs, but even so, new housing can be hard to find—Rhode Island ranks last in the country for issuing new home permits.

Oregon: Sherman County

- Share of homes built prewar: 35.0%
- Total prewar homes: 249

Sherman County sits along the Oregon Trail in northern Oregon. An agricultural area known for wheat and barley production, the construction of railroads was responsible for much of the economic growth in the towns of Grass Valley and Wasco between 1910 and 1920. The population then declined due to more farming automation, railroads closing, and the Great Depression.

Ohio: Seneca County

- Share of homes built prewar: 34.8%
- Total prewar homes: 7,602

The discovery of natural gas in 1888 brought industry and manufacturing to this agricultural region of Northwest Ohio. Industrial growth in the form of glass, porcelain, and brickmaking helped grow Tiffin, the county seat. A major flood in 1913 caused over $1 million in property damage and destroyed 46 homes.

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Data reporting by Elena Cox. Story editing by Jeff Inglis. Copy editing by Paris Close. Photo selection by Lacy Kerrick.