Williston dates to 1853, and 1 of its places is on the National Register
More historic than 38% of U.S. towns · #127 of 638 in Florida. What drives it
Most of Williston was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1989. Its Register listing is the Citizens Bank. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1895 on, and the census since 1900.
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1879.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Williston’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Williston is more historic than 38% of U.S. towns, #127 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 Williston’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 Williston’s 3.2 sits above most of its state (79% of Florida towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikipedia alone; no second source gives 1853.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to B−. The pre-1940 share (±2.9 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: Wikipedia (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 Williston’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Williston was established in 1853 by J.M. Willis, who named it after himself. It was officially incorporated as the "Town of Williston" in 1897, but was reincorporated as the City of Williston on June 2, 1929.
On May 7, 2016, the first known fatal accident involving a self-driving vehicle occurred at the intersection of U.S. 27 and Northeast 140th Court in Williston. A 2015 Tesla Model S driven by 40 year old Joshua D. Brown of Canton, Ohio struck the side of a tractor-trailer turning left in front of Brown when the car's autonomous features failed to distinguish the white side of the truck against a bright sky. Brown was pronounced dead by Levy County Fire Rescue at the scene.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
In 1853, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Williston’s post office opened in 1879, and the census of 1900 counted 184 people here.
How does Williston rank for history?
Williston is more historic than 38% of U.S. towns, #127 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 Williston?
One place: the Citizens Bank (listed 1995).
How old are the homes in Williston?
3% of Williston’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.9 points), against a typical 0.6% for a Florida town; the median home was built in 1989.
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), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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