More historic than 3% of U.S. towns · #116 of 123 in Arkansas. What drives it
Most of Centerton was built recently: 1% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2009. Below: maps from 1971 on and the census since 1920.
The Centerton post office opened in 1900, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Seba (1884), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
First census: 212 in 19202020 census: 17,792126 years
How historic is Centerton?
D−
More historic than 3% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Centerton post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Centerton’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Centerton is more historic than 3% of U.S. towns, #116 of 123 in Arkansas. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
D−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Centerton’s overall grade.
Arkansas towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Arkansas town has 20.5 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Centerton’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (11% of Arkansas 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 (±1.6 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 Centerton’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Native American hunters and early settlers were drawn to present-day Centerton by natural springs, including what is now known as McKissick Spring. In the Antebellum South era, an early church and school built along the spring were named Center Point, for the community's central location in Benton County. Though the area did not see any formal action during the Civil War, Union troops camped at McKissick Spring on March 5, 1862, shortly before the Battle of Pea Ridge.
The Centerton post office opened in 1900, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Centerton rank for history?
Centerton is more historic than 3% of U.S. towns, #116 of 123 in Arkansas. 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 Centerton?
1% of Centerton’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.6 points), against a typical 3.1% for an Arkansas town; the median home was built in 2009.
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 (4), 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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