Amite City’s post office opened in 1855, and 3 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 57% of U.S. towns · #48 of 161 in Louisiana. What drives it
Most of Amite City was built recently: 7% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1972. 3 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 37 buildings. Below: 4 old photos and papers, maps from 1949 on, and the census since 1870.
Founding year: the first Amite City post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1861.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Amite City’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Amite City is more historic than 57% of U.S. towns, #48 of 161 in Louisiana. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Amite City’s overall grade.
Louisiana towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Louisiana town has 3.8 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Amite City’s 96.3 sits above most of its state (90% of Louisiana towns have fewer) while its 39 historic buildings outnumber those of 83% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.6 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1861 falls in the same era, so the grade doesn’t depend on which one is used.
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 Amite City’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first European settlement, by French traders and colonists, developed on the banks of the Tangipahoa River, adjacent to a Choctaw village. Legend has it that the site was chosen when Choctaw Chief Baptiste welcomed the earliest settlers. Baptiste was the last Choctaw chief in the region. "Amite" has been said to be a Choctaw word for "red ant", signifying "thrift". It may also be derived from French, where amitié means "friendship."
The United States acquired what were known as the Florida Parishes in 1812. Anglo-American travelers are documented as entering Amite City as early as 1813.
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.
Between 910 and 4,301 people in every census since 1870.
16 censuses, 1870–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Amite City’s Wikipedia page.
Places that used to be
Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds
Amite City had its own post office from 1855 to 1901.
Amite City
1855–1901
Amite
1901–today
18501940today
Hamlets and corners on the map
AmiteHostetter
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Amite City
AmiteEllis
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Amite City’s history
What year was Amite City founded?
The Amite City post office opened in 1855, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1861.
How does Amite City rank for history?
Amite City is more historic than 57% of U.S. towns, #48 of 161 in Louisiana. 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 Amite City?
Three places: the Greenlawn (listed 1980), the Episcopal Church of the Incarnation (1980) and the Downtown Amite Historic District (1998).
How old are the homes in Amite City?
7% of Amite City’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.6 points), against a typical 3.4% for a Louisiana town; the median home was built in 1972.
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 (4), Wikidata (2), 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) 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.
1935
1935
1935
