Statesboro dates to 1803, and 17 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 69% of U.S. towns · #65 of 263 in Georgia. What drives it
Most of Statesboro was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1989. 17 places in town are on the National Register, among them eight historic districts with 111 buildings between them. Below: 12 old photos and papers, maps from 1908 on, and the census since 1870.
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1823.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Statesboro’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Statesboro is more historic than 69% of U.S. towns, #65 of 263 in Georgia. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Statesboro’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 Statesboro’s 36.0 sits near the middle of its state (65% of Georgia towns have fewer) while its 123 historic buildings outnumber those of 90% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B− to A−. The pre-1940 share (±1.7 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1803.
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 Statesboro’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
In 1801, George Sibbald of Augusta donated a 9,301-acre (37.64 km2) tract for a centrally located county seat for the growing agricultural community of Bulloch County. The area was developed by white planters largely for cotton plantations that were worked by black slave labor. In December 1803, the Georgia legislature created the town of Statesborough. The community most likely was named after the notion of states' rights, an issue central in the 1800 United States presidential election. In 1866 the state legislature granted a permanent charter to the city, changing the spelling of its name to the present "Statesboro."
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Statesboro. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1920Statesboro sheet · 1:62,500
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Statesboro.
Every building
Statesboro, building by building, 1908–1922
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
In 1803, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Statesboro’s post office opened in 1823, and the census of 1870 counted 33 people here.
How does Statesboro rank for history?
Statesboro is more historic than 69% of U.S. towns, #65 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 Statesboro?
17 listings: 9 buildings, among them the Bulloch County Courthouse (listed 1980, the first), and 8 historic districts with 111 contributing buildings. 123 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Statesboro?
5% of Statesboro’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.7 points), against a typical 3.8% for a Georgia town; the median home was built in 1989.
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 Library of Congress (12), the National Register of Historic Places (17), 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), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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