Most of Hillsboro Beach was built recently: 0.7% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1974. Its Register listing is the Hillsboro Inlet Light Station. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1946 on, and the census since 1950.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Hillsboro Beach is more historic than 25% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Hillsboro Beach’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 Hillsboro Beach’s 22.0 sits above most of its state (88% of Florida towns have fewer) while its 5 historic buildings outnumber those of 70% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1922.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D− to C+. The pre-1940 share (±0.8 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 Hillsboro Beach’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Hillsboro Beach was named for the Earl of Hillsborough, who received large grants of Florida's land from the English Crown while it was part of East Florida, a British colonial possession.
The first permanent structure built was the Hillsboro Inlet Lighthouse, in 1907. But it wasn't until 1922, when Herbert L. Malcolm bought the land next to it and built a school. In 1925, the school into a hotel, which became the Hillsboro Club.
The Town of Hillsboro Beach was incorporated as a municipality on June 12, 1939, but remained inactive until March 4, 1947, when it was officially incorporated by a special act of the Florida Legislature, and reincorporated in 1969.
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 Hillsboro Beach. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1946Boca Raton 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 Hillsboro Beach.
Then & now
Stand where they stood
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.
Retake this viewHillsboro Inlet Light is located on the north side of Hillsboro Inlet, midway between Fort Lauderdale and Boca Raton, 1980
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Hillsboro Beach’s page.
In 1922, according to Wikidata. the census of 1950 counted 84 people here.
How does Hillsboro Beach rank for history?
Hillsboro Beach is more historic than 25% 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.
What is on the National Register in Hillsboro Beach?
One place: the Hillsboro Inlet Light Station (listed 1974).
How old are the homes in Hillsboro Beach?
0.7% of Hillsboro Beach’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 0.6% for a Florida town; the median home was built in 1974.
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 (10), the Library of Congress (1), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, 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.
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