Attalla dates to 1870, and 2 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 51% of U.S. towns · #73 of 187 in Alabama. What drives it
Most of Attalla was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1965. 2 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 30 buildings. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1892 on, and the census since 1880.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1870.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Attalla’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Attalla is more historic than 51% of U.S. towns, #73 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 Attalla’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 Attalla’s 53.7 sits above most of its state (77% of Alabama towns have fewer) while its 31 historic buildings outnumber those of 82% 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 (±2.9 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1870.
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 Attalla’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
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.
The town developed on the area of a former Muscogee (Creek) village that was important during the Creek War. Most of the Creek people were forced out under the Indian Removal Act of 1830. White European migrants from the coastal areas came into this area to acquire land. The wealthier ones developed cotton plantations based on the labor of enslaved African Americans.
Cherokee people had also lived in this area, after being encroached on in Tennessee and western North Carolina. David Brown (Cherokee) was assisted by the Rev. D. S. Butterick in preparing the Cherokee Spelling Book while he lived here.
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.
In 1870, according to Wikidata. Attalla’s post office opened in 1870, and the census of 1880 counted 351 people here.
How does Attalla rank for history?
Attalla is more historic than 51% of U.S. towns, #73 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 Attalla?
Two places: the U.S. Post Office (listed 1983) and the Attalla Downtown Historic District (2013).
How old are the homes in Attalla?
6% of Attalla’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.9 points), against a typical 3.2% for an Alabama town; the median home was built in 1965.
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 (8), the Library of Congress (1), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (2), 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.
2026
2026
2016
2015
2014
2014
2011
2010
