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C−History
History · Hilliard

Hilliard’s post office opened in 1881

More historic than 16% of U.S. towns · #268 of 638 in Florida. What drives it

Most of Hilliard was built recently: 0.9% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1983. Below: maps from 1917 on and the census since 1950.

1881first post office
0on the National Register
0.9%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Excel23 · CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answers

How Hilliard began

When was Hilliard founded?

1881

The Hilliard post office opened in 1881, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 607 in 19502020 census: 2,967145 years

How historic is Hilliard?

C−

More historic than 16% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Hilliard post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).
History grade

What drives Hilliard’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Hilliard is more historic than 16% of U.S. towns, #268 of 638 in Florida. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Hilliard’s overall grade.
Founding era1881, from the first post office: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 19400.9% of homes (±1.3) · typical FL town 0.6% · U.S. 8.4%DNational RegisterNo listings counted · typical FL town 0.0 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 16%
NewerOlder
Florida towns of 2,500+ (638)Ahead of 58%

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 Hilliard’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 (±1.3 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 Hilliard’s 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 Hilliard are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19173 editions of the USGS map, 1917 to 1992. Watch Hilliard change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Hilliard’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Hilliard’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
On the map

Hilliard on the map, 1917 to 1992

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

Hilliard on the 1917 USGS mapHilliard on the 1970 USGS mapHilliard on the 1992 USGS map1917Hilliard 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 Hilliard.

The story so far

Hilliard, in brief

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

Hilliard is a town in Nassau County, Florida, United States; northwest of Jacksonville. It is part of the Jacksonville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,967, down from 3,086 at the 2010 census. Hilliard was named "2003 Rural Community of the Year" by former Florida governor Jeb Bush, for its collaboration with the YMCA to establish a local chapter, which included a swimming pool and exercise facility.

Its first post office opened in 1881. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 3,086 to 2,967 (-4%).

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

Timeline

Hilliard, 1881 to 1987

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1881Post officeThe Hilliard post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1917On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  5. 1987Born hereDaniel Thomas is born here
By decade

Hilliard, decade by decade

Today30 recent
CR108 WB Hilliard city limits2024CR108 WB Hilliard city limitsCR108 EB, Hilliard, US1 intersection2024CR108 EB, Hilliard, US1 intersectionCR108 EB, Hilliard, Road junction 115A2024CR108 EB, Hilliard, Road junction 115ACR108 EB, Hilliard, East CR108 signage2024CR108 EB, Hilliard, East CR108 signageNB US 1-23-301; Welcome to Hilliard Sign2022NB US 1-23-301; Welcome to Hilliard SignNB US 1-23-301; JCT Nassau CR 108 in2022NB US 1-23-301; JCT Nassau CR 108 inNB US 1-23-301; Holiday Terrace Motel;2022NB US 1-23-301; Holiday Terrace Motel;NB US 1-23-301; Folkston 11, Waycross 42, Jesup 522022NB US 1-23-301; Folkston 11, Waycross 42, Jesup 52NB US 1-23-301; FAA-Jacksonville Air Traffic Control Center2022NB US 1-23-301; FAA-Jacksonville Air Traffic Control …NB US 1-23-301; Dixie Motel;2022NB US 1-23-301; Dixie Motel;King's Bar and Tree House Lounge;2022King's Bar and Tree House Lounge;Hilliard Forestry Station Sign-022022Hilliard Forestry Station Sign-02Hilliard Forestry Station Sign-012022Hilliard Forestry Station Sign-01FDOF Hilliard Fire Tower2022FDOF Hilliard Fire TowerNB US 1-23-301; Mid-Century Mod Bar in2021NB US 1-23-301; Mid-Century Mod Bar inHilliardMiddleHighSchool2013HilliardMiddleHighSchoolHilliardMansionFL2013HilliardMansionFLHilliardFLMontage2013HilliardFLMontageHilliardFL2013HilliardFLHilliardAirpark2013HilliardAirparkHilliard1CH2013Hilliard1CHTruck after a collision with a train2011Truck after a collision with a trainFEMA - 38853 - FEMA Debris Specialist in Nassau County2008FEMA - 38853 - FEMA Debris Specialist in Nassau CountyFEMA - 38852 - FEMA Debris Specialist in Nassau County2008FEMA - 38852 - FEMA Debris Specialist in Nassau CountyFEMA - 38851 - County Road crew cleans storm drainage ditches2008FEMA - 38851 - County Road crew cleans storm drainage…FEMA - 38850 - FEMA Debris Specialist with county workers2008FEMA - 38850 - FEMA Debris Specialist with county wor…FEMA - 38849 - FEMA Debris Specialist with county workers2008FEMA - 38849 - FEMA Debris Specialist with county wor…FEMA - 38848 - FEMA Debris Specialist in Nassau County2008FEMA - 38848 - FEMA Debris Specialist in Nassau CountyFEMA - 38847 - Debris Cleanup in Nassau Co2008FEMA - 38847 - Debris Cleanup in Nassau CoFLMap-doton-Hilliard2004FLMap-doton-Hilliard
People over time

Hilliard, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,0001960198020002020Peak: 3,086

Between 607 and 3,086 people in every census since 1950.

8 censuses, 1950–2020.

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

Questions about Hilliard’s history

What year was Hilliard founded?

The Hilliard post office opened in 1881, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

How does Hilliard rank for history?

Hilliard is more historic than 16% of U.S. towns, #268 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 Hilliard?

0.9% of Hilliard’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.3 points), against a typical 0.6% for a Florida town; the median home was built in 1983.

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 (30), 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.