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C−History
History · Grayson

Grayson dates to 1879

More historic than 15% of U.S. towns · #211 of 263 in Georgia. What drives it

Most of Grayson was built recently: 2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2012. Below: 6 old photos and papers, maps from 1964 on, and the census since 1910.

1879founded
0on the National Register
2%homes built before 1940
6old photos & papers
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Grayson’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Grayson began

When was Grayson founded?

1879

Grayson dates its founding to 1879 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1910.

First census: 278 in 19102020 census: 4,730147 years

How historic is Grayson?

C−

More historic than 15% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1881.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Grayson’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Grayson is more historic than 15% of U.S. towns, #211 of 263 in Georgia. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Grayson’s overall grade.
Founding era1879, from Wikidata: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 19402.1% of homes (±3.8) · typical GA town 3.8% · U.S. 8.4%C−National RegisterNo listings counted · typical GA town 10.0 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 15%
NewerOlder
Georgia towns of 2,500+ (263)Ahead of 20%

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 Grayson’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (16% of Georgia 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 is a Census survey estimate (±3.8 points). Two sources give 1879.

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 →

What stands out about Grayson’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

Mystery photos6 old photos have no date. Neighbors can guess the decade.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Grayson’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Grayson’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo6 archive items have no date. Guess the decade.+2Retake an old viewBay Creek Park Football Field: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story

How Grayson came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Grayson.

Read it all →

The city of Grayson was first called Trip. In 1901, John Ellery Jacobs, the postmaster and civic leader, wrote to the post office department requesting that Trip, Georgia be changed to Berkley, Georgia. On December 6, 1901, the General Assembly of Georgia approved an act to incorporate the town and change the name. Shortly after, Ellery Jacobs was notified that there was already a Berkley, Georgia. He then suggested Graymount (because there was a clear view of Stone Mountain), but it was also taken. He then suggested the name of Grayson, Georgia.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Grayson, 1879 to 1998

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1879
    FoundingGrayson is established
  3. 1881Post officeThe Tripp post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1902Post officeThe Tripp post office closes
  6. 1902Post officeThe Grayson post office opens
  7. 1964On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  8. 1965Born hereChuck Robbins is born here
  9. 1998Born hereChase Brice is born here
By decade

Grayson, decade by decade

Date unknown6 to date
Bay Creek Park Football FieldDate?Bay Creek Park Football FieldBay Creek Park in winterDate?Bay Creek Park in winterGrayson City Hall Grayson GA chartered 1901Date?Grayson City Hall Grayson GA chartered 1901Grayson City Hall during rare Georgia SnowstormDate?Grayson City Hall during rare Georgia SnowstormGrayson Georgia in rare snowstormDate?Grayson Georgia in rare snowstormGrayson Park PavilianDate?Grayson Park Pavilian
On the map

Grayson on the map, 1964 to 1992

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Grayson. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Grayson on the 1964 USGS mapGrayson on the 1985 USGS mapGrayson on the 1992 USGS map1964Lawrenceville sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Grayson.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Bay Creek Park Football Field
Retake this viewBay Creek Park Football Field

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Grayson’s page.

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Grayson, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,5004,0004,5005,0001920194019601980200020204,730

Grew from 278 people in 1910 to 4,730 in 2020, more than tenfold.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Grayson’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Grayson

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Chuck RobbinsAmerican businessman · b. 1965
Chase BriceAmerican football player · b. 1998
Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Grayson’s post office has been open since 1902. Another post office, Tripp, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Tripp
1881–1902
Grayson
1902–today
18801950today

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Questions about Grayson’s history

What year was Grayson founded?

In 1879, according to Wikidata. Grayson’s post office opened in 1881, and the census of 1910 counted 278 people here.

How does Grayson rank for history?

Grayson is more historic than 15% of U.S. towns, #211 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.

How old are the homes in Grayson?

2% of Grayson’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.8 points), against a typical 3.8% for a Georgia town; the median home was built in 2012.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

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), 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.