Most of Killen was built recently: 1% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1981. Below: maps from 1916 on and the census since 1960.
The Killen post office opened in 1896, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Masonville (1826), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 620 in 19602020 census: 1,034130 years
How historic is Killen?
C−
More historic than 16% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Killen post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).
History grade
What drives Killen’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Killen is more historic than 16% of U.S. towns. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Killen’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 Killen’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 D to C−. The pre-1940 share (±1.8 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (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 Killen’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Killen. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1916Muscle Shoals sheet · 1:62,500
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Killen.
The story so far
Killen, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Killen yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Killen is a town in Lauderdale County, Alabama, United States. It is part of the Florence - Muscle Shoals Metropolitan Statistical Area known as "The Shoals". It was incorporated in 1957. As of the 2020 census, the population of the town is 1,034, down from its record high of 1,119 in 2000.
Its first post office opened in 1896. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 1,108 to 1,034 (-7%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Killen, 1826 to 1978
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Killen’s history
What year was Killen founded?
The Killen post office opened in 1896, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Killen rank for history?
Killen is more historic than 16% 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 Killen?
1% of Killen’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.8 points), against a typical 3.2% for an Alabama town; the median home was built in 1981.
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 (2), 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) 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.
2013
2013