On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Falkville is more historic than 34% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Falkville’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 Falkville’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (26% of Alabama towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to C+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±16.1 points).
Founding year: the first census (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 Falkville’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Falkville was named for Louis M. Falk, a Prussian merchant who emigrated to the area in the late 1850s. Falk opened a general store in what is now Falkville in 1859 and later became the town's first postmaster. The L&N Railroad was constructed through Falkville in the early 1870s, and a rail station opened in 1872.
In 1936, the Works Progress Administration constructed a town hall for Falkville. This building now serves as the town's library.
Two destructive tornadoes hit the town in the 1950s. On April 24, 1955, an F4 tornado tore directly through the town, killing five and injuring 20. Two years later, on April 8, 1957, a long-tracked F3 tornado hit the southern part of town. That storm killed two and injured 90.
The Falkville post office opened in 1880, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Falkville rank for history?
Falkville is more historic than 34% of U.S. towns. 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.
How old are the homes in Falkville?
15% of Falkville’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±16.1 points), against a typical 3.2% for an Alabama town; the median home was built in 1968.
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 (5), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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