Apopka’s post office opened in 1869, and 5 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 38% of U.S. towns · #126 of 638 in Florida. What drives it
Most of Apopka was built recently: 2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2002. Below: 5 old photos and papers, maps from 1917 on, and the census since 1890.
The Apopka post office opened in 1869, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1882. Another post office, Bay Ridge (1886), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
First census: 490 in 18902020 census: 54,873157 years
How historic is Apopka?
C+
More historic than 38% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Apopka post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1882.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Apopka’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Apopka is more historic than 38% of U.S. towns, #126 of 638 in Florida. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Apopka’s overall grade.
Few Florida towns list much on the Register (a typical Florida town has 0.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Apopka’s 1.0 sits above most of its state (72% of Florida towns have fewer) while its 6 historic buildings outnumber those of 72% 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 (±1.4 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1882 falls in the same era, so the grade doesn’t depend on which one is used.
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 Apopka’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The earliest known inhabitants of the Apopka area were the Acuera people, members of the Timucua confederation. They had disappeared by 1730, probably decimated by diseases transmitted through Florida by Spanish colonists.
The Acuera were succeeded by refugees from Alabama and Georgia, who formed the new Seminole Indian tribe. They called the area Ahapopka. Aha, meaning "Potato," and papka, meaning "eating place". By the 1830s, this settlement numbered about 200, and was the birthplace of the chief Coacoochee (known in English as "Wild Cat").
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 Apopka. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1960Apopka 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 Apopka.
Every building
Apopka, building by building, 1917–1924
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.
The Apopka post office opened in 1869, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1882.
How does Apopka rank for history?
Apopka is more historic than 38% of U.S. towns, #126 of 638 in Florida. 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 Apopka?
5 listings: 5 buildings, among them the Waite-Davis House (listed 1990, the first). 6 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Apopka?
2% of Apopka’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.4 points), against a typical 0.6% for a Florida town; the median home was built in 2002.
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 (17), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (5), Wikipedia, 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.
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