Smiths Station dates to 1738, and 1 of its places is on the National Register
More historic than 38% of U.S. towns · #97 of 187 in Alabama. What drives it
1 place in town is on the National Register, among them a historic district with 8 buildings. Most of Smiths Station was built recently: 1% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1989. Below: maps from 1965 on and the census since 1990.
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1866.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Smiths Station’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Smiths Station is more historic than 38% of U.S. towns, #97 of 187 in Alabama. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Smiths Station’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 Smiths Station’s 14.6 sits above most of its state (70% of Alabama towns have fewer) while its 8 historic buildings outnumber those of 74% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikipedia alone; no second source gives 1738.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share (±1.1 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: Wikipedia (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 Smiths Station’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Smiths Station was first settled in 1738. The Central of Georgia Railway was extended through the community from Columbus, Georgia to Opelika, Alabama in 1845. The depot was named for Broadus Smith, a prominent early settler who lived near the city's current location.
Local legend contends that around 1960, local Jon Ergan grew tired of writing Smiths Station, so he took it upon himself to drop "Station" from the name of the community.
Smiths Station was officially incorporated on June 22, 2001, and is as of 2004 Alabama's second newest city next to Center Point.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Smiths Station. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1965Smiths 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 Smiths Station.
On the National Register
1 listing protects 8 historic buildings
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
In 1738, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Smiths Station’s post office opened in 1866, and the census of 1990 counted 3,456 people here.
How does Smiths Station rank for history?
Smiths Station is more historic than 38% of U.S. towns, #97 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 Smiths Station?
One place: the Lowther House Complex (listed 1993).
How old are the homes in Smiths Station?
1% of Smiths Station’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.1 points), against a typical 3.2% for an Alabama town; the median home was built in 1989.
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 the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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.
