Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
More historic than 35% of U.S. towns · #152 of 263 in Georgia. What drives it
Most of Gray was built recently: 1% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1997. Its Register listings are the Jones County Courthouse, the Jones County High School and the Roberts-Bush-Roberts House. Below: maps from 1964 on and the census since 1920.
Gray dates its founding to 1851 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history agree). The census first counted it in 1920.
More historic than 35% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Gray is more historic than 35% of U.S. towns, #152 of 263 in Georgia. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
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 Gray’s 31.3 sits near the middle of its state (64% of Georgia towns have fewer) while its 11 historic buildings outnumber those of 76% of U.S. towns.
Founding year: Wikidata (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 →
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Gray’s history is told.
From Wikipedia’s history of Gray.
Gray was founded in 1851 and named for local wealthy cotton planter and landowner James M. Gray. In 1905, the seat of Jones County was transferred to Gray and in 1911 it was incorporated as a town.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Born hereAl Wood is born here
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological SurveyEvery edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Gray. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Gray.
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Grew from 559 people in 1920 to 3,436 in 2020, 6 times over.
11 censuses, 1920–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Gray’s Wikipedia page.
Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.
In 1851, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Gray’s post office opened in 1875, and the census of 1920 counted 559 people here.
Gray is more historic than 35% of U.S. towns, #152 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.
Three places: the Jones County Courthouse (listed 1980), the Jones County High School (1999) and the Roberts-Bush-Roberts House (2015).
1% of Gray’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.5 points), against a typical 3.8% for a Georgia town; the median home was built in 1997.
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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 (3), the Library of Congress (2), Wikidata (3), the National Register of Historic Places (3), 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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