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History · Ranger

Ranger’s post office opened in 1891

Most of Ranger was built recently: 2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1982. Below: maps from 1955 on and the census since 1920.

1891first post office
0on the National Register
2%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Ranger began

When was Ranger founded?

1891

The Ranger post office opened in 1891, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 145 in 19202020 census: 107135 years
Founding year: the first Ranger post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Ranger’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Ranger are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 183 in 1950; 107 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Ranger’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Ranger, census by census

0100200192019401960198020002020Peak: 183

Peaked at 183 in 1950; 107 people lived here in 2020.

11 censuses, 1920–2020.

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

The story

How Ranger came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Ranger.

Read it all →

A post office called Ranger has been in operation since 1891. It is uncertain whether the town was named after Ranger, North Carolina, or the Confederate rangers.

The Georgia General Assembly incorporated Ranger as a town in 1910.

The town was dissolved on May 3, 2023, when Governor Brian Kemp signed HB 773, which passed in late March 2023, into law. It was a result of the town not providing police, utilities, business licenses, and in addition, not holding an election since 2005. Governmental services are now provided by Gordon County.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Ranger, 1891 to 1955

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1891Post officeThe Ranger post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1950CensusPopulation peaks at 183
  5. 1955On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Ranger, decade by decade

Today6 recent
U.S. Route 4112026U.S. Route 411Ranger Town Park2026Ranger Town ParkRailroad tracks2026Railroad tracksFormer service station2026Former service stationChurch Street2015Church StreetGAMap-doton-Ranger2005GAMap-doton-Ranger
On the map

Ranger on the map, 1955 to 1961

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

Ranger on the 1955 USGS mapRanger on the 1961 USGS map1955Rome sheet · 1:250,000

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Ranger

Nobody well known was born in Ranger itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
B
Benjamin WalkerAmerican actor · b. 1982
Claude AkinsAmerican actor · b. 1926
Butch WalkerAmerican musician and record producer · b. 1969
Bronson RechsteinerAmerican professional wrestler and football pla… · b. 1997
S
Sonny LandhamAmerican actor · b. 1941
Arn AndersonAmerican professional wrestler, road agent and … · b. 1958

Questions about Ranger’s history

What year was Ranger founded?

The Ranger post office opened in 1891, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

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). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (6), 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.