Hardwick’s post office opened in 1913, and 5 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 36% of U.S. towns · #149 of 263 in Georgia. What drives it
Most of Hardwick was built recently: 9% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1980. Below: maps from 1912 on and the census since 1950.
Founding year: the first Hardwick post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).
History grade
What drives Hardwick’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Hardwick is more historic than 36% of U.S. towns, #149 of 263 in Georgia. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Hardwick’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 Hardwick’s 32.3 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.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to B. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±6.2 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 →
What stands out about Hardwick’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
The story so far
Hardwick, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Hardwick yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Hardwick an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Baldwin County, Georgia, is a part of the micropolitan statistical area. As of the 2020 census, its population stands at 3,513, reflecting a significant decrease from 5,135 in 2000 when it was known as Midway-Hardwick. The community is built around Central State Hospital, once one of the largest mental health institutions in the United States. Hardwick is historically notable for being home to Oglethorpe University during the 19th century. Today, its ZIP code is 31034, connecting its rich history to its present-day identity.
Its first post office opened in 1913. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 3,930 to 3,513 (-11%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Hardwick, 1838 to 1923
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
The Hardwick post office opened in 1913, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Hardwick rank for history?
Hardwick is more historic than 36% of U.S. towns, #149 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 Hardwick?
5 listings: 5 buildings, among them the John Rutherford House (listed 1978, the first). 11 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Hardwick?
9% of Hardwick’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.2 points), against a typical 3.8% for a Georgia town; the median home was built in 1980.
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 the National Register of Historic Places (5), 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.
