The Perry post office opened in 1887, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Perry's Bridge (1830), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
2020 census: 1,171139 years
How historic is Perry?
C
More historic than 29% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Perry post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Perry’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Perry is more historic than 29% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
C
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Perry’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 Perry’s 7.0 sits near the middle of its state (62% of Louisiana towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to C+. The pre-1940 share (±2.4 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 Perry’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Perry's Bridge originated sometime after 1817, when Robert Perry was given a contract by the St. Martin Parish Police Jury to build a bridge across the river. By 1827, Perry, who was first appointed Sheriff of Vermilion Parish, serving 1844 to 1848, owned stores on each side of the river at Perry's Bridge, maintained a tannery there, and had other landholdings. In 1844, Perry laid out the little town.
The Perry post office opened in 1887, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Perry rank for history?
Perry is more historic than 29% 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.
What is on the National Register in Perry?
One place: the Perry House (listed 1987).
How old are the homes in Perry?
2% of Perry’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.4 points), against a typical 3.4% for a Louisiana town; the median home was built in 1980.
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 National Register of Historic Places (1), 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.
