More historic than 8% of U.S. towns · #404 of 638 in Florida. What drives it
Most of Poinciana was built recently: 0.2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2005. Below: maps from 1953 on and the census since 2000.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Poinciana is more historic than 8% of U.S. towns, #404 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 Poinciana’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 Poinciana’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 (±0.3 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 Poinciana’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Poinciana was planned in the 1960s. The original developer was Gulf American Corporation. Poinciana was conceived as a retirement destination, and the first homes were built in 1973 around the Poinciana Golf and Racquet Club. Since the mid-1980s the developer has been AV Homes (formerly Avatar Holdings). By 1994 the population had only risen to about 8,000, but since then growth has been rapid. On June 7, 2018, Taylor Morrison Homes announced its agreement to Acquire AV Homes, Inc at $21.90 per share.
Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.
Hamlets and corners on the map
JohnsonPoinciana Place
Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Poinciana’s history
How does Poinciana rank for history?
Poinciana is more historic than 8% of U.S. towns, #404 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 Poinciana?
0.2% of Poinciana’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 0.6% for a Florida town; the median home was built in 2005.
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 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.
