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History · Ranburne

Ranburne’s post office opened in 1899, and 10% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1966 on and the census since 1960.

1899first post office
0on the National Register
10%homes built before 1940
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Rivers Langley; SaveRivers · CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answers

How Ranburne began

When was Ranburne founded?

1899

The Ranburne post office opened in 1899, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 317 in 19602020 census: 422127 years
Founding year: the first Ranburne post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Ranburne’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Ranburne are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Ranburne’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Ranburne’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story so far

Ranburne, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Ranburne yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Ranburne is a town in Cleburne County, Alabama, United States. At the 2020 census the population was 422.

Its first post office opened in 1899. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 409 to 422 (+3%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

Timeline

Ranburne, 1899 to 2001

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1899Post officeThe Ranburne post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1966On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  5. 1989Born hereChase Whitley is born here
  6. 21st century
  7. 2001Born hereBrooks Jensen is born here
By decade

Ranburne, decade by decade

Today5 recent
Ranburne, Alabama2012Ranburne, AlabamaRanburne, Alabama Post Office 362732012Ranburne, Alabama Post Office 36273Ranburne, Alabama City Hall2012Ranburne, Alabama City HallRanburne High School2012Ranburne High SchoolALMap-doton-Ranburne2004ALMap-doton-Ranburne
On the map

Ranburne on the map, 1966 to 1980

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Ranburne. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Ranburne on the 1966 USGS mapRanburne on the 1975 USGS mapRanburne on the 1980 USGS map1966Bowdon 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 Ranburne.

People over time

Ranburne, census by census

01002003004005001960198020002020Peak: 459

Between 317 and 459 people in every census since 1960.

7 censuses, 1960–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Ranburne’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Ranburne

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
B
Brooks JensenAmerican professional wrestler · b. 2001
Chase WhitleyAmerican baseball player · b. 1989

Questions about Ranburne’s history

What year was Ranburne founded?

The Ranburne post office opened in 1899, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

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). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (5), 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.