Youngsville’s post office opened in 1872, and 1 of its places is on the National Register
More historic than 31% of U.S. towns · #84 of 161 in Louisiana. What drives it
Most of Youngsville was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2011. Its Register listing is the Dupleix House. Below: maps from 1921 on and the census since 1900.
Founding year: the first Youngsville post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1908.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Youngsville’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Youngsville is more historic than 31% of U.S. towns, #84 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 Youngsville’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 Youngsville’s 1.7 sits near the middle of its state (47% of Louisiana towns have fewer) while its 3 historic buildings outnumber those of 65% 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 (±2.9 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata gives 1908.
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 Youngsville’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Youngsville was settled in the early 19th century by French Acadian farmers. Prior to 1839, George Roy and his son, Desire, laid out the area and named the community "Royville". The settlement had grown large enough by 1859 to establish one of the oldest Catholic churches in Lafayette Parish: St. Anne Church, on the community's oldest street, Church Street. In 1908, the U.S. Postal Service asked village leaders to change the name because the town was being confused with the north Louisiana town of Rayville. So in 1908, the village of Youngsville was incorporated, with the name meaning "young village". It chose a government of a mayor and three aldermen.
The Youngsville post office opened in 1872, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1908.
How does Youngsville rank for history?
Youngsville is more historic than 31% of U.S. towns, #84 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 Youngsville?
One place: the Dupleix House (listed 1984).
How old are the homes in Youngsville?
3% of Youngsville’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.9 points), against a typical 3.4% for a Louisiana town; the median home was built in 2011.
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 (5), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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