More historic than 18% of U.S. towns · #111 of 161 in Louisiana. What drives it
Most of Prien was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1992. Below: maps from 1947 on and the census since 1980.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Prien is more historic than 18% of U.S. towns, #111 of 161 in Louisiana. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Prien’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 Prien’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 two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±5.6 points).
Founding year: our sources. 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 Prien’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.
Hamlets and corners on the map
Blankenship Mobile Home ParkJesse James Mobile Home ParkSmiths Mobile Home ParkSouthtowner Mobile Estates
Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
The story so far
Prien, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Prien yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Prien is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, United States. As of the 2020 census, Prien had a population of 7,745. It is part of the Lake Charles metropolitan statistical area. Some of the area has been annexed into the city of Lake Charles.
Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 7,810 in 2010, 7,745 in 2020.
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Prien is more historic than 18% of U.S. towns, #111 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 Prien?
6% of Prien’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.6 points), against a typical 3.4% for a Louisiana town; the median home was built in 1992.
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), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) 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
