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D−History
History · Highland Acres

Half of Highland Acres’ homes were built after 1972

Among the newest of U.S. towns. What drives it

Most of Highland Acres was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1972. Below: maps from 1930 on and the census since 1970.

0on the National Register
0.0%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

About Highland Acres’ history

How historic is Highland Acres?

D−

Among the newest of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
History grade

What drives Highland Acres’ History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Highland Acres is among the newest of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

D−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Highland Acres’ overall grade.
Founding eraNo founding year we can rely on, so the grade uses the other two–Homes built before 19400.0% of homes (±1.0) · typical DE town 5.9% · U.S. 8.4%D−National RegisterNo listings counted · typical DE town 29.4 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Among the newest
NewerOlder
Delaware towns of 2,500+ (37)Ahead of 3%

Delaware towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Delaware town has 29.4 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Highland Acres’ 0.0 sits below most of its state (14% of Delaware towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share (±1.0 points) is firm at this size.

Founding year: our sources. 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 Highland Acres’ past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Highland Acres are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Lost villages12 hamlets and corners are still on the map.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Highland Acres’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Highland Acres’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Places that used to be

Old corners

Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Beades EstateCandlewickeCarriage LaneCarter DevelopmentFairfield FarmsGreenviewRichardson EstatesRoyal GrantShady LaneThe BladesTidbury Creek Park Mobile Home ParkTidbury Manor

Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

The story so far

Highland Acres, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Highland Acres yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Highland Acres is a census-designated place (CDP) in Kent County, Delaware, United States. It is part of the Dover, Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2020 census, Highland Acres had a population of 3,492.

Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 3,459 in 2010, 3,492 in 2020.

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

By decade

Highland Acres, decade by decade

Today5 recent
Tidbury Creek east of DE 10 ALT2026Tidbury Creek east of DE 10 ALTDE 10 ALT EB at Tidbury Creek2026DE 10 ALT EB at Tidbury Creek2022-07-17 10 04 44 View west along Delaware State Route 10 Alternate (South State Street) at Richardson Circle in20222022-07-17 10 04 44 View west along Delaware State Ro…DE 10 WB shield past DE 10 ALT State Street2021DE 10 WB shield past DE 10 ALT State StreetDE 10 WB past DE 10 ALT State Street2018DE 10 WB past DE 10 ALT State Street
On the map

Highland Acres on the map, 1930 to 1993

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Highland Acres. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Highland Acres on the 1930 USGS mapHighland Acres on the 1956 USGS mapHighland Acres on the 1981 USGS mapHighland Acres on the 1993 USGS map1930Wyoming sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Highland Acres.

People over time

Highland Acres, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,5001980200020203,492

Grew from 1,471 people in 1970 to 3,492 in 2020.

6 censuses, 1970–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Highland Acres’ Wikipedia page.

Famous people

Famous people close to Highland Acres

Nobody well known was born in Highland Acres itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Annie Jump CannonAmerican astronomer · b. 1863
Teri PoloAmerican actress · b. 1969
Doug HutchisonAmerican actor · b. 1960
Madison BrengleAmerican tennis player · b. 1990
Louis McLaneAmerican lawyer and politician from Wilmington,… · b. 1786
Ruth Ann MinnerAmerican politician and businesswoman · b. 1935
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Rising Sun-LebanonIts storyCKent AcresIts storyDCamden5 historic placesB+Rodney VillageIts storyD

Questions about Highland Acres’ history

How does Highland Acres rank for history?

Highland Acres is among the newest 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 Highland Acres?

0.0% of Highland Acres’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.0 points), against a typical 5.9% for a Delaware town; the median home was built in 1972.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

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 (5), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) 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.