More historic than 15% of U.S. towns · #287 of 638 in Florida. What drives it
Most of Holmes Beach was built recently: 0.4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1975. Below: maps from 1944 on and the census since 1950.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1956.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Holmes Beach’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Holmes Beach 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 Holmes 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 Holmes Beach’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.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1892.
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.
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 Holmes Beach’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Holmes Beach's first non-indigenous settlers, Sam and Annie Cobb, homesteaded 160 acres (65 ha) on Anna Maria Island in 1896. Other prominent pioneers who joined them were, John R. Jones, who piloted boats between Tampa and Cuba, and Jose Casanas, an immigrant from the Canary Islands who came to the US to start a commercial fishing business for mullet. In 1902, the Cobbs opened a post office from their home.
In 1892, according to Wikidata. Holmes Beach’s post office opened in 1956, and the census of 1950 counted 137 people here.
How does Holmes Beach rank for history?
Holmes Beach 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 Holmes Beach?
0.4% of Holmes Beach’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 0.6% for a Florida town; the median home was built in 1975.
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 (6), Wikipedia, 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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