Half of Palm River-Clair Mel’s homes were built after 1993
More historic than 11% of U.S. towns · #337 of 638 in Florida. What drives it
Most of Palm River-Clair Mel was built recently: 1% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1993. Below: maps from 1921 on and the census since 1970.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Palm River-Clair Mel is more historic than 11% of U.S. towns, #337 of 638 in Florida. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
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HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Palm River-Clair Mel’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 Palm River-Clair Mel’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 two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share (±0.6 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: our sources. 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 Palm River-Clair Mel’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Palm River-Clair Mel. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1921Tampa 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 Palm River-Clair Mel.
The story so far
Palm River-Clair Mel, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Palm River-Clair Mel yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Palm River-Clair Mel is a census-designated place (CDP) in Hillsborough County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, Palm River-Clair Mel had a population of 26,142. The census area includes the unincorporated communities of Clair-Mel City and Palm River. The ZIP code for Palm River-Clair Mel is 33619.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 21,024 to 26,142 (+24%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Palm River-Clair Mel, 1894 to 1921
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Palm River-Clair Mel is more historic than 11% of U.S. towns, #337 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 Palm River-Clair Mel?
1% of Palm River-Clair Mel’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 0.6% for a Florida town; the median home was built in 1993.
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 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.
