More historic than 15% of U.S. towns · #287 of 638 in Florida. What drives it
Most of Fruit Cove was built recently: 0.4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2002. Below: maps from 1917 on and the census since 1990.
The Fruit Cove post office opened in 1877, the earliest record of the town by name. Two smaller post offices, Fruitcove (1877) and Switzerland (1881), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 5,904 in 19902020 census: 32,143149 years
How historic is Fruit Cove?
D
More historic than 15% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Fruit Cove post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).
History grade
What drives Fruit Cove’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Fruit Cove is more historic than 15% of U.S. towns, #287 of 638 in Florida. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Fruit Cove’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 Fruit Cove’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (33% of Florida 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 (±0.4 points) is firm at this size. 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 Fruit Cove’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
Fruitcove
1877–1920
Switzerland
1881–1955
18701950today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Amity Anchorage Mobile Home ParkPine BluffSwitzerlandWesley Manor Retirement Village
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
On the map
Fruit Cove on the map, 1917 to 1992
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Fruit Cove. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1917Orange Park 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 Fruit Cove.
The story so far
Fruit Cove, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Fruit Cove yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Fruit Cove is a census-designated place (CDP) in St. Johns County, Florida, United States. It is located in the community of St. Johns. The population was 32,143 at the 2020 census, up from 29,362 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Jacksonville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Its first post office opened in 1877. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 29,362 to 32,143 (+9%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Fruit Cove, 1877 to 1955
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
The Fruit Cove post office opened in 1877, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Fruit Cove rank for history?
Fruit Cove is more historic than 15% of U.S. towns, #287 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.
How old are the homes in Fruit Cove?
0.4% of Fruit Cove’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), 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 (5), 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.
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