Alexander City dates to 1872, and 7 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 50% of U.S. towns · #74 of 187 in Alabama. What drives it
Most of Alexander City was built recently: 1% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1979. 7 places in town are on the National Register, among them five historic districts with 952 buildings between them. Below: 3 old photos and papers, maps from 1894 on, and the census since 1880.
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1837.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Alexander City’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Alexander City is more historic than 50% of U.S. towns, #74 of 187 in Alabama. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Alexander City’s overall grade.
Alabama towns list about as much on the Register as the country (a typical Alabama town has 2.7 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Alexander City’s 655 sits above most of its state (98% of Alabama towns have fewer) while its 956 historic buildings outnumber those of 99% 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 (±0.8 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1872.
Founding year: Wikidata (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 Alexander City’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Alexander City was incorporated in 1872 as Youngsville, after its founder James Young. In 1873, the Savannah and Memphis Railroad came to the city. The city was renamed in honor of the railroad's President Edward Porter Alexander, who had been a brigadier general in the Confederate army during the U.S. Civil War.
On June 13, 1902, at 1 pm, a fire broke out in the Alexander City Machine shop and destroyed much of the town. At the time, Alexander City did not have a water system and all buildings, including the telegraph office, post office and three banks were burned.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Alexander City. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1971Alexander City sheet · 1:24,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Alexander City.
Every building
Alexander City, building by building, 1894–1921
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 1
Edition
Sheets
BrickWoodStone
Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Then & now
Stand where they stood
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.
Retake this view1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Alabama - Tallapoosa County - Alexander City - ED 62-2, ED 62-3, ED 62-4, 1880
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Alexander City’s page.
In 1872, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Alexander City’s post office opened in 1837, and the census of 1880 counted 796 people here.
How does Alexander City rank for history?
Alexander City is more historic than 50% of U.S. towns, #74 of 187 in Alabama. 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 Alexander City?
7 listings: 2 buildings, among them the A. J. and Emma E. Thomas Coley House (listed 1991, the first), and 5 historic districts with 952 contributing buildings. 956 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Alexander City?
1% of Alexander City’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 3.2% for an Alabama town; the median home was built in 1979.
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 (6), the National Register of Historic Places (7), 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 Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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