Andalusia dates to 1841, and 7 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 77% of U.S. towns · #22 of 187 in Alabama. What drives it
Most of Andalusia was built recently: 8% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1971. 7 places in town are on the National Register, among them three historic districts with 69 buildings between them. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1905 on, and the census since 1880.
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1844.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Andalusia’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Andalusia is more historic than 77% of U.S. towns, #22 of 187 in Alabama. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Andalusia’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 Andalusia’s 83.3 sits above most of its state (80% of Alabama towns have fewer) while its 73 historic buildings outnumber those of 87% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B to A. The pre-1940 share (±2.5 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1841.
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 Andalusia’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Andalusia was settled in 1841 after flooding of the Conecuh River and the surrounding lowlands forced citizens to move to higher ground. The county seat was moved from Montezuma to Andalusia in 1844. Andalusia may have been named by Spanish explorers or settlers since the land where the town is located was part of Spanish Florida until Pinckney's Treaty in 1795. Andalusia shares its name with the autonomous community of Andalusia in southern Spain. The new town was originally called "New Site" but was known as Andalusia by the time a post office was established in 1846.
In 1899, two railroad lines arrived in Andalusia, the Central of Georgia and the L & N Railroad, and the town began to grow.
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 Andalusia. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1971Andalusia 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 Andalusia.
Every building
Andalusia, building by building, 1905–1924
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.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Andalusia’s history
What year was Andalusia founded?
In 1841, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Andalusia’s post office opened in 1844, and the census of 1880 counted 596 people here.
How does Andalusia rank for history?
Andalusia is more historic than 77% of U.S. towns, #22 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 Andalusia?
7 listings: 4 buildings, among them the First National Bank Building (listed 1982, the first), and 3 historic districts, the Covington County Courthouse and Jail, the Andalusia Commercial Historic District and the J.W. Shreve Addition Historic District, with 69 contributing buildings. 73 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Andalusia?
8% of Andalusia’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.5 points), against a typical 3.2% for an Alabama town; the median home was built in 1971.
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 (4), Wikidata (2), 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.
1880
2018
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