Zachary’s post office opened in 1885, and 3 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 32% of U.S. towns · #82 of 161 in Louisiana. What drives it
Most of Zachary was built recently: 2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2003. 3 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 5 buildings. Below: maps from 1939 on and the census since 1900.
The Zachary post office opened in 1885, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1889. Two smaller post offices, Ambrosia (1873) and Fred (1894), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
First census: 465 in 19002020 census: 19,316141 years
How historic is Zachary?
C
More historic than 32% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Zachary post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1889.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Zachary’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Zachary is more historic than 32% of U.S. towns, #82 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 Zachary’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 Zachary’s 3.5 sits near the middle of its state (52% of Louisiana towns have fewer) while its 7 historic buildings outnumber those of 73% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to B−. The pre-1940 share (±1.6 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1889 falls in the same era, so the grade doesn’t depend on which one is used.
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 Zachary’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Much of the land which the city now occupies was part of a 160-acre (65 ha) farm owned by Darel Zachary (1827-1907). In the 1880s, Zachary sold his land to the Illinois Central Railroad, who built a track and a depot on it. A village quickly grew up around the depot, which came to be called "Zachary" after the original farmer. Zachary's first post office was opened in 1885, and it was incorporated as a city on August 2, 1889, with Thomas Edward McHugh as its first mayor. A fire devastated the city in 1903, supposedly caused by a greengrocer trying to flame-ripen his bananas. The "historic village" at the center of the city is composed of buildings which either survived the fire, or were built shortly after it, the oldest (excluding the depot) being the 1898 Allison House. The first census was carried out in 1914 and reported just 419 residents. In 1966 Zachary became the first city in L…
The Zachary post office opened in 1885, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1889.
How does Zachary rank for history?
Zachary is more historic than 32% of U.S. towns, #82 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 Zachary?
Three places: the Zachary Railroad Depot (listed 1983), the Fairhaven Plantation House (1988) and the Virginia Street Historic District (2011).
How old are the homes in Zachary?
2% of Zachary’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.6 points), 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 (5), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (3), 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.
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