Gulfport dates to 1884, and 1 of its places is on the National Register
More historic than 46% of U.S. towns · #87 of 638 in Florida. What drives it
Most of Gulfport was built recently: 9% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1963. Its Register listing is the Gulfport Casino. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1923 on, and the census since 1930.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1910.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Gulfport’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Gulfport is more historic than 46% of U.S. towns, #87 of 638 in Florida. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Gulfport’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 Gulfport’s 0.9 sits above most of its state (72% of Florida towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1884.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B−. The pre-1940 share (±2.0 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: Wikidata (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 Gulfport’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Archaeological digs around Boca Ciega Bay indicate that settlements existed in the area circa 8000 to 3000 BC. The area was also densely populated during the Safety Harbor period. In 1528, the Spanish explorer Pánfilo de Narváez landed on the Pinellas peninsula, some say near present-day Gulfport, where he encountered the local Timucuan people.
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 1884, according to Wikidata. Gulfport’s post office opened in 1910, and the census of 1930 counted 851 people here.
How does Gulfport rank for history?
Gulfport is more historic than 46% of U.S. towns, #87 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 Gulfport?
One place: the Gulfport Casino (listed 2014).
How old are the homes in Gulfport?
9% of Gulfport’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.0 points), against a typical 0.6% for a Florida town; the median home was built in 1963.
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), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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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