Most of New Llano was built recently: 0.9% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1982. Below: maps from 1941 on and the census since 1950.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1905.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives New Llano’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, New Llano is more historic than 4% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
D−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of New Llano’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 New Llano’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 range from D− to D. The pre-1940 share (±0.8 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1917.
Founding year: Wikidata (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 New Llano’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The New Llano Cooperative Colony was founded in 1917 when Job Harriman relocated, with other commune members of the Llano del Rio colony, to 20,000 acres of cut-over land two miles south of Leesville after difficulties securing water at the California site and power struggles at the commune. The location chosen was the Gulf Lumber Company sawmill town named Stables. The mill had burned in 1913 and again in 1916. After the sawmill burnt for the second time, it was not rebuilt because the stumpage reserves were depleted. The land, was sold on contract to the Cooperative Colony.
In 1917, according to Wikidata. New Llano’s post office opened in 1905, and the census of 1950 counted 277 people here.
How does New Llano rank for history?
New Llano is more historic than 4% 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.
How old are the homes in New Llano?
0.9% of New Llano’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 3.4% for a Louisiana town; the median home was built in 1982.
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), Wikipedia, 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
