More historic than 16% of U.S. towns · #122 of 142 in Kentucky. What drives it
Most of Hendron was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1979. Below: maps from 1926 on and the census since 1990.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Hendron is more historic than 16% of U.S. towns, #122 of 142 in Kentucky. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Hendron’s overall grade.
Kentucky towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Kentucky town has 29.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Hendron’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (12% of Kentucky 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 is a Census survey estimate (±3.6 points).
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 Hendron’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Hendron yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Hendron is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in McCracken County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 4,774 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Paducah, KY-IL Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 4,687 in 2010, 4,774 in 2020.
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Hendron, 1898 to 1926
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Hendron is more historic than 16% of U.S. towns, #122 of 142 in Kentucky. 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 Hendron?
6% of Hendron’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.6 points), against a typical 5.9% for a Kentucky town; the median home was built in 1979.
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 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.
