More historic than 3% of U.S. towns · #152 of 161 in Louisiana. What drives it
Most of Moss Bluff was built recently: 0.4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1998. Below: maps from 1935 on and the census since 1980.
The Moss Bluff post office opened in 1912, the earliest record of the town by name. Two smaller post offices, West Fork (1860) and Newton (1913), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 7,004 in 19802020 census: 12,522114 years
How historic is Moss Bluff?
D−
More historic than 3% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Moss Bluff post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).
History grade
What drives Moss Bluff’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Moss Bluff is more historic than 3% of U.S. towns, #152 of 161 in Louisiana. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
D−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Moss Bluff’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 Moss Bluff’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (21% of Louisiana towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would still be D−. The pre-1940 share (±0.7 points) is firm at this size. 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 Moss Bluff’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds
Moss Bluff had its own post office from 1912 to 1913. Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
West Fork
1860–1876
Moss Bluff
1912–1913
Newton
1913–1930
18601940today
Hamlets and corners on the map
AraratNewtonOakcreek Estates Mobile Home ParkRichmond Estates Mobile Home Park
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Moss Bluff
RitchieWest Fork
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
The story so far
Moss Bluff, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Moss Bluff yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Moss Bluff is a census-designated place (CDP) in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 12,522 at the 2020 census. Located just north of the city of Lake Charles, it is considered a suburb of that city. Moss Bluff is a burgeoning community, and is one of the communities in Calcasieu Parish besides Lake Charles and Sulphur experiencing growth. Several efforts have been made to incorporate Moss Bluff, but at the present time the community is unincorporated.
Its first post office opened in 1912. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 11,557 to 12,522 (+8%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Moss Bluff, 1860 to 1938
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
The Moss Bluff post office opened in 1912, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Moss Bluff rank for history?
Moss Bluff is more historic than 3% of U.S. towns, #152 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.
How old are the homes in Moss Bluff?
0.4% of Moss Bluff’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 3.4% for a Louisiana town; the median home was built in 1998.
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 (1), 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.
2004
