3 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 3 buildings. Below: 8 old photos and papers, maps from 1888 on, and the census since 1890.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Horton is more historic than 82% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Horton’s overall grade.
Kansas towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Kansas town has 5.1 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Horton’s 31.1 sits above most of its state (87% of Kansas towns have fewer) while its 5 historic buildings outnumber those of 70% 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 is a Census survey estimate (±4.1 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 Horton’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Horton. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1888Hiawatha sheet · 1:125,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Horton.
People over time
Horton, census by census
Peaked at 4,049 in 1930; 1,523 people lived here in 2020.
14 censuses, 1890–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Horton’s Wikipedia page.
Every building
Horton, building by building, 1889–1924
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.
Horton was founded in 1886. It was named for Albert H. Horton, chief justice of the Kansas Supreme Court.
On January 22, 2013, the host of CNBC television show The Profit toured Horton in hopes of revitalizing Horton's downtown business district. Within 18 months, the community started the "Reinvent Horton" campaign to clean up the community and update "run-down" aspects of it, including the installation of curbs, sidewalks, and light poles, razed some buildings, and a large community effort to try to change Horton.
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.
The Horton post office opened in 1886, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Horton rank for history?
Horton is more historic than 82% of U.S. towns. 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 Horton?
Three places: the US Post Office-Horton (listed 1989), the Fete Apartments (2019) and the Horton Civic Center (2020).
How old are the homes in Horton?
43% of Horton’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.1 points), against a typical 10% for a Kansas town; the median home was built in 1953.
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 (2), the Library of Congress (7), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (3), 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.
1896
1896
1898
1898
1898
2004