Opelika’s post office opened in 1850, and 8 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 56% of U.S. towns · #61 of 187 in Alabama. What drives it
Most of Opelika was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1992. 8 places in town are on the National Register, among them four historic districts with 498 buildings between them. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1885 on, and the census since 1880.
The Opelika post office opened in 1850, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1854. Four smaller post offices, Mount Jefferson (1839), Opellikan (1844) and Yongesboro (1859), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
First census: 3,245 in 18802020 census: 30,995176 years
How historic is Opelika?
B
More historic than 56% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Opelika post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1854.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Opelika’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Opelika is more historic than 56% of U.S. towns, #61 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 Opelika’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 Opelika’s 153 sits above most of its state (88% of Alabama towns have fewer) while its 502 historic buildings outnumber those of 97% 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 (±1.4 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1854 falls in the same era, so the grade doesn’t depend on which one is used.
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 Opelika’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The Opelika area was first settled in 1832 after the Treaty of Cusseta was signed by the U.S. government and the Creek Nation. This treaty placed the land, and all other Creek territories east of the Mississippi River, under the possession of the United States government. Though the territory now belonged to the U.S., Opelika kept its Creek name, which translates to "large swamp", from opilwa (swamp) and lako (big).
Two decades after settlement, Opelika was chartered as a town on February 9, 1854, thanks to its rapid growth. This growth was due to the Montgomery & West Point Railroad Company's rail lines, which traversed the town and served as major means of transportation for unprocessed cotton between the northern and southern territories.
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 Opelika. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1971Opelika West 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 Opelika.
Every building
Opelika, building by building, 1885–1909
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 Opelika post office opened in 1850, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1854.
How does Opelika rank for history?
Opelika is more historic than 56% of U.S. towns, #61 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 Opelika?
8 listings: 4 buildings, among them the Lee County Courthouse (listed 1973, the first), and 4 historic districts with 498 contributing buildings. 502 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Opelika?
5% of Opelika’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.4 points), against a typical 3.2% for an Alabama town; the median home was built in 1992.
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 (16), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (8), 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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