More historic than 17% of U.S. towns · #250 of 638 in Florida. What drives it
Most of Port Richey was built recently: 2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1983. Below: maps from 1954 on and the census since 1930.
Founding year: the first Port Richey post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1925.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Port Richey’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Port Richey is more historic than 17% of U.S. towns, #250 of 638 in Florida. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Port Richey’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 Port Richey’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 any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to C. The pre-1940 share (±2.2 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata gives 1925.
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 Port Richey’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
On December 1883, Aaron M. Richey arrived from St. Joseph, Missouri, and settled near the mouth of the Pithlachascotee River. He established a post office in his home on July 9, 1884.
The City of Port Richey was incorporated as a municipality on May 18, 1925, in response to the incorporation of New Port Richey the previous year. The name Port Richey is older than the name New Port Richey, as the post offices were established in 1884 and 1915, respectively.
Singer Johnny Cash owned a home along the Pithlachascotee River from 1979 until 2002. Cash and his wife June Carter Cash inherited the house from Maybelle Carter after her death, and they sold it in 2002 shortly before their deaths in 2003.
The Port Richey post office opened in 1884, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1925.
How does Port Richey rank for history?
Port Richey is more historic than 17% of U.S. towns, #250 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 Port Richey?
2% of Port Richey’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.2 points), against a typical 0.6% for a Florida town; the median home was built in 1983.
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 (9), 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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