Texarkana dates to 1873, and 28 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 45% of U.S. towns · #52 of 123 in Arkansas. What drives it
Most of Texarkana was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1979. 28 places in town are on the National Register, among them three historic districts with 69 buildings between them. Below: 8 old photos and papers, maps from 1909 on, and the census since 1880.
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1852.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Texarkana’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Texarkana is more historic than 45% of U.S. towns, #52 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 Texarkana’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 Texarkana’s 32.6 sits near the middle of its state (62% of Arkansas towns have fewer) while its 95 historic buildings outnumber those of 89% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to B. The pre-1940 share (±1.3 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1873.
Founding year: Wikipedia (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 Texarkana’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Miller County was formed in 1820 in the Arkansas Territory; it was named in honor of James Miller, Arkansas' first territorial governor and a general during the War of 1812. Much of its eastern border is formed by the Red River. At the time, there was considerable uncertainty among Americans as to the location of the boundary between the county (and the United States) and national territory of Mexico, which then included Texas.
Consequently, settlers believed that Arkansas levied and collected taxes on land that eventually might be held by Mexico. Moreover, many who resented what they considered Mexican oppression of European-American Texans were openly declaring allegiance to the Texans.
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.
In 1873, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Texarkana’s post office opened in 1852, and the census of 1880 counted 1,390 people here.
How does Texarkana rank for history?
Texarkana is more historic than 45% of U.S. towns, #52 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 Texarkana?
28 listings: 23 buildings, among them the Orr School (listed 1976, the first), 3 historic districts, the Buhrman-Pharr Hardware Company Historic District, the East Broad Street Historic District and the Beech Street Historic District, with 69 contributing buildings, and 2 structures. 95 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Texarkana?
4% of Texarkana’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.3 points), against a typical 3.1% for an Arkansas town; the median home was built in 1979.
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 (7), the Library of Congress (1), Wikidata (3), the National Register of Historic Places (28), 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) 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.
1908
1909
1932
c. 1945
