Opelousas dates to 1720, and 13 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 78% of U.S. towns · #17 of 161 in Louisiana. What drives it
Most of Opelousas was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1975. 13 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 18 buildings. Below: 5 old photos and papers, maps from 1939 on, and the census since 1860.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1807.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Opelousas’ History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Opelousas is more historic than 78% of U.S. towns, #17 of 161 in Louisiana. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Opelousas’ 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 Opelousas’ 23.2 sits above most of its state (76% of Louisiana towns have fewer) while its 36 historic buildings outnumber those of 83% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1720.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B− to A+. The pre-1940 share (±1.1 points) is firm at this size.
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 Opelousas’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Opelousas takes its name from the Native American tribe Opelousa who had occupied the area before European contact.
French traders, called coureurs de bois (forest trappers and hunters), arrived in the Opelousas area in the early 1740s to trade with the Opelousas Indians. The French encouraged immigration to the Opelousas Post before they ceded Louisiana to Spain in 1762. Governor Jean-Jacques d’Abbadie opened the "Opelousas Country" to settlers in 1763. An official post was established in 1764; Frenchman Louis Gérard Pellerin was appointed as the first commandant on July 1, 1764.
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.
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.
In 1720, according to Wikidata. Opelousas’ post office opened in 1807, and the census of 1860 counted 786 people here.
How does Opelousas rank for history?
Opelousas is more historic than 78% of U.S. towns, #17 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 Opelousas?
13 listings: 12 buildings, among them the Michel Prudhomme House (listed 1977, the first), and 1 historic district, the Opelousas Historic District, with 18 contributing buildings. 36 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Opelousas?
4% of Opelousas’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.1 points), against a typical 3.4% for a Louisiana town; the median home was built in 1975.
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 (3), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (13), 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.
1938
1938
