Fayetteville dates to 1828, and 80 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 65% of U.S. towns · #23 of 123 in Arkansas. What drives it
Most of Fayetteville was built recently: 2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1997. 80 places in town are on the National Register, among them ten historic districts with 311 buildings between them. Below: 3 old photos and papers, maps from 1886 on, and the census since 1840.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1819.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Fayetteville’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Fayetteville is more historic than 65% of U.S. towns, #23 of 123 in Arkansas. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Fayetteville’s overall grade.
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Fayetteville ranks #191 on History.
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 Fayetteville’s 38.8 sits near the middle of its state (65% of Arkansas towns have fewer) while its 385 historic buildings outnumber those of 96% of U.S. towns.
Newer cities are common at Fayetteville’s size: in the typical U.S. city of 100,000 or more, 5% of homes predate 1940.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to A−. The pre-1940 share (±0.5 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1828.
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 Fayetteville’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Following the Louisiana Purchase, the first permanent settlers in what became Fayetteville were George McGarrah and his sons James, John, and William. Around 1828, they settled near Big Spring, close to the modern intersection of Spring and Willow Streets, in an area later known as the Masonic Addition at the base of Mount Sequoyah. That same year, Washington County was created from Lovely County, which had existed for only one year, and the settlement of Washington Courthouse was selected as the county seat. The Washington Courthouse was completed in 1829 and also housed the post office.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Fayetteville. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1958Fayetteville 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 Fayetteville.
Every building
Fayetteville, building by building, 1886–1930
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
In 1828, according to Wikidata. Fayetteville’s post office opened in 1819, and the census of 1840 counted 425 people here.
How does Fayetteville rank for history?
Fayetteville is more historic than 65% of U.S. towns, #23 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.
What is on the National Register in Fayetteville?
80 listings: 57 buildings, among them the Old Main, University of Arkansas (listed 1970, the first), 11 historic districts with 311 contributing buildings, 7 sites, 4 structures, and 1 object. 385 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Fayetteville?
2% of Fayetteville’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 3.1% for an Arkansas town; the median home was built in 1997.
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 (3), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (80), Wikipedia, 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), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
