More historic than 3% of U.S. towns · #245 of 263 in Georgia. What drives it
Most of Martinez was built recently: 0.2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1985. Below: maps from 1921 on and the census since 1980.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Martinez is more historic than 3% of U.S. towns, #245 of 263 in Georgia. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
D−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Martinez’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 Martinez’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 two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share (±0.2 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: our sources. 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 Martinez’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The founder was Jose Antonio Martinez y Zaldivar, a wealthy man from Camagüey Cuba. He bought land in Columbia County in 1869 and named it El Cordero Ranch; Cordero means Lamb.
On November 5, 1876, Marie Martinez married Mr. George Perrin at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Augusta, Georgia. The 1880 US Census indicates George was a druggist and was 29 years old. Marie was 22, and they resided on Broad Street #1109. The couple had one son, Thomas Wright Perrin, born on August 23, 1885. El Cordero Ranch is now only 20 acres in size. His old hacienda and several buildings, barns and a water tower still stand off Old Ferry Road in Martinez (near the intersection of River Watch Parkway and Baston Road).
Martinez is more historic than 3% of U.S. towns, #245 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 Martinez?
0.2% of Martinez’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 3.8% for a Georgia town; the median home was built in 1985.
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 (4), Wikipedia, 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.
2023
2017
2017
2005
