The Midway post office opened in 1948, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Benville (1900), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
2020 census: 1,03678 years
How historic is Midway?
C−
More historic than 20% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Midway post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).
History grade
What drives Midway’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Midway is more historic than 20% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Midway’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 Midway’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 C+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±15.8 points). 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 Midway’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Midway yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Midway is a census-designated place in Baxter County, Arkansas, United States. Midway is 5.5 miles (8.9 km) northwest of Mountain Home. Per the 2020 census, the population was 1,036. Midway has a post office with ZIP code 72651. Long home to a rural trading post, Midway became a boomtown during the construction of the Bull Shoals Dam, and later evolved to serve tourists and retirees attracted to the lake.
Its first post office opened in 1948. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 1,084 to 1,036 (-4%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Midway, 1900 to 1948
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Midway’s post office has been open since 1948. Another post office, Benville, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Benville
1900–1914
Midway
1948–today
19001960today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Arkawana
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Midway’s history
What year was Midway founded?
The Midway post office opened in 1948, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Midway rank for history?
Midway is more historic than 20% of U.S. towns. 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 Midway?
19% of Midway’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±15.8 points), against a typical 3.1% for an Arkansas 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 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.
