Cleveland’s post office opened in 1857, and 2 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 31% of U.S. towns · #169 of 263 in Georgia. What drives it
Most of Cleveland was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1993. Its Register listings are the Old White County Courthouse and the White County Jail. Below: 6 old photos and papers, maps from 1951 on, and the census since 1870.
The Cleveland post office opened in 1857, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Mount Yonah (1830), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
First census: 145 in 18702020 census: 3,514169 years
How historic is Cleveland?
C
More historic than 31% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Cleveland post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Cleveland’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Cleveland is more historic than 31% of U.S. towns, #169 of 263 in Georgia. 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 Cleveland’s overall grade.
Georgia towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Georgia town has 10.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Cleveland’s 5.7 sits near the middle of its state (46% of Georgia towns have fewer) while its 2 listings outnumber those of 60% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to C. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.6 points). 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 →
Prior to 1883, Cleveland was named 'New Prospect', as far back as 1806 when Cleveland was first settled. After the formation of White County in 1857, it became the county seat for the county, being incorporated in 1870, before being renamed to Cleveland in 1883. The town was named after General Benjamin Cleveland, a War of 1812 figure and grandson of Colonel Benjamin Cleveland a Revolutionary War figure. After the arrival of a railroad in 1888, the population of Cleveland began to grow, and it was incorporated as a city in 1949.
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.
The Cleveland post office opened in 1857, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Cleveland rank for history?
Cleveland is more historic than 31% of U.S. towns, #169 of 263 in Georgia. 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 Cleveland?
Two places: the Old White County Courthouse (listed 1970) and the White County Jail (1985).
How old are the homes in Cleveland?
3% of Cleveland’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.6 points), against a typical 3.8% for a Georgia 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 Wikimedia Commons (6), the National Register of Historic Places (2), 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.
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