Pearl City’s post office opened in 1900, and 3 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 19% of U.S. towns · #42 of 93 in Hawaii. What drives it
Most of Pearl City was built recently: 1% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1974.
How Pearl City began
When was Pearl City founded?
The Pearl City post office opened in 1900, the earliest record of the town by name.
How historic is Pearl City?
More historic than 19% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
What drives Pearl City’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Pearl City is more historic than 19% of U.S. towns, #42 of 93 in Hawaii. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
Few Hawaii towns list much on the Register (a typical Hawaii town has 0.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Pearl City’s 0.7 sits near the middle of its state (60% of Hawaii towns have fewer) while its 3 listings outnumber those of 65% of U.S. towns.
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 →
3 historic places in Pearl City
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. One is a National Historic Landmark, the highest tier.
★ Landmark
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Old corners
Pearl City’s post office has been open since 1900.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
History across the town line
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
Questions about Pearl City’s history
What year was Pearl City founded?
The Pearl City post office opened in 1900, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Pearl City rank for history?
Pearl City is more historic than 19% of U.S. towns, #42 of 93 in Hawaii. 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 Pearl City?
Three places: the Pearl Harbor, U.S. Naval Base (listed 1966), the U.S.S. ARIZONA Memorial (1966) and the Naval Aviation Supply Depot Personnel Camp Quonset Hut 33 (2023).
How old are the homes in Pearl City?
1% of Pearl City’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 1.7% for a Hawaii town; the median home was built in 1974.
Memory lane
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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 the National Register of Historic Places (3), 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.