More historic than 13% of U.S. towns · #145 of 187 in Alabama. What drives it
Most of Southside was built recently: 0.3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1986. Below: maps from 1947 on and the census since 1960.
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1885.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Southside’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Southside is more historic than 13% of U.S. towns, #145 of 187 in Alabama. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Southside’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 Southside’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 (±0.4 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1850.
Founding year: Wikidata (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 Southside’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Southside was first settled in 1850 as a small rural community with townships such as Green Valley, Cedar Bend, and Pilgrims Rest, and the area which is now the city of Southside was formed when they merged. Early Southside's primary source of income was agricultural. Green Valley was the early center of Southside's industry; as its grist mill, blacksmith and sorghum mill were located there. The area's cotton gin was located at Brannon Springs and State Highway 77.
In 1850, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Southside’s post office opened in 1885, and the census of 1960 counted 436 people here.
How does Southside rank for history?
Southside is more historic than 13% of U.S. towns, #145 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.
How old are the homes in Southside?
0.3% of Southside’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 3.2% for an Alabama town; the median home was built in 1986.
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 (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.
2019
