Mims’ post office opened in 1886, and 1 of its places is on the National Register
More historic than 28% of U.S. towns · #177 of 638 in Florida. What drives it
Most of Mims was built recently: 0.3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1988. Its Register listing is the Hotel Mims. Below: 4 old photos and papers, maps from 1949 on, and the census since 1990.
The Mims post office opened in 1886, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Turnbull (1888), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 9,412 in 19902020 census: 7,336140 years
How historic is Mims?
C
More historic than 28% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Mims post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Mims’ History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Mims is more historic than 28% of U.S. towns, #177 of 638 in Florida. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
C
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Mims’ 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 Mims’ 1.3 sits above most of its state (74% of Florida towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% 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 (±0.3 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 Mims’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Mims’s post office has been open since 1886. Another post office, Turnbull, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Mims
1886–today
Turnbull
1888–1914
18801950today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Crack of Dawn Mobile Home ParkEast MimsHoliday Village Travel ParkMinnear's Mobile Home ParkNorthgate Mobile Home ParkTurnbullWestwood Mobile ParkWileyWoodlands Park Mobile Home Park
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Mims, Florida received its name after its earliest settlers; Britton J. Mims, Robert Mims, and Casper Neil Mims. The three brothers were reputedly distant relatives to Jesse James. Casper later established the first Mims general store circa 1876.
Henry Flagler's Florida East Coast Railway construction starting 1885 expanded the community. By 1893, with railroad in place, both Mims and neighboring city Titusville began shipping citrus and lumber to northern cities. By the end of the 19th century citrus farms began to dominate the local economy. Citrus remain central to Mims economy until the closure of Nevins fruit company in the 1980s.
The Mims post office opened in 1886, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Mims rank for history?
Mims is more historic than 28% of U.S. towns, #177 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 Mims?
One place: the Hotel Mims (listed 1995).
How old are the homes in Mims?
0.3% of Mims’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 0.6% for a Florida town; the median home was built in 1988.
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), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, 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.
1951
2009
2004
