More historic than 4% of U.S. towns · #164 of 187 in Alabama. What drives it
Most of Sumiton was built recently: 0.7% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1978. Below: maps from 1949 on and the census since 1950.
The Sumiton post office opened in 1924, the earliest record of the town by name. Three smaller post offices, Walker (1826), Democrat (1856) and Kirkwood (1905), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
First census: 1,334 in 19502020 census: 2,444102 years
How historic is Sumiton?
D−
More historic than 4% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Sumiton post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Sumiton’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Sumiton is more historic than 4% of U.S. towns, #164 of 187 in Alabama. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
D−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Sumiton’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 Sumiton’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 D. The pre-1940 share (±1.1 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 Sumiton’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The city of Sumiton began after the Civil War as a mining town surrounding a railroad. It was incorporated in 1952. Sumiton's name is derived from its location being at one of the highest points in Walker County. It had also been previously known as Bald Eagle, Commercial, Democrat, and Summit. The first commercial mining venture in Sumiton was Philip and Moran's Mining Company. The first post office opened in 1924, and the first public school in 1940.
The Sumiton post office opened in 1924, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Sumiton rank for history?
Sumiton is more historic than 4% of U.S. towns, #164 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 Sumiton?
0.7% of Sumiton’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 1978.
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.
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