Prairieville’s post office opened in 1884, and 3 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 28% of U.S. towns · #95 of 161 in Louisiana. What drives it
Most of Prairieville was built recently: 0.8% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2003. Its Register listings are the Robert Penn Warren House, the Dixon House and the Kraemer House. Below: maps from 1934 on.
How Prairieville began, and where its name came from
When was Prairieville founded?
1884
The Prairieville post office opened in 1884, the earliest record of the town by name. Three smaller post offices, Hope Villa (1873), Galvez (1882) and Hobart (1900), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
2020 census: 33,197142 years
How did Prairieville get its name?
Prairieville’s name is derived from the once plentiful pastures and prairies that were visible from Highway 73 (Jefferson Hwy.) and Airline Highway, which is now covered with development.
How historic is Prairieville?
C
More historic than 28% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Prairieville is more historic than 28% of U.S. towns, #95 of 161 in Louisiana. 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 Prairieville’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 Prairieville’s 1.4 sits near the middle of its state (45% of Louisiana towns have fewer) while its 5 historic buildings outnumber those of 70% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to C+. 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 Prairieville’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Prairieville is vulnerable to hurricanes and tropical systems due to its proximity to the coast of southeast Louisiana. Hurricane Gustav caused major damage to the Prairieville area; many trees were downed and power lines were down for weeks.
The most notable local property was the Phillips Farm. The farmhouse is still a local landmark in Prairieville, although the original owner died in 2005. The house is lined with live oaks and a white planked fence surrounds the grounds. The pasture was sold in 1992 at the start of the suburban development and a 250-resident subdivision named "Seven Oaks" surrounds the farm where the pastures were.
The Prairieville post office opened in 1884, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Prairieville rank for history?
Prairieville is more historic than 28% of U.S. towns, #95 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 Prairieville?
Three places: the Robert Penn Warren House (listed 1993), the Dixon House (1999) and the Kraemer House (1984).
How old are the homes in Prairieville?
0.8% of Prairieville’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 3.4% for a Louisiana town; the median home was built in 2003.
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), the National Register of Historic Places (3), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.
2012
