More historic than 37% of U.S. towns · #136 of 143 in Maine. What drives it
Most of Arundel was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1992. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1891 on, and the census since 1790.
The Arundel post office opened in 1807, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1915. Another post office, North Kennebunkport (1833), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 1,458 in 17902020 census: 4,264219 years
How historic is Arundel?
C+
More historic than 37% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Arundel post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1915.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Arundel’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Arundel is more historic than 37% of U.S. towns, #136 of 143 in Maine. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Arundel’s overall grade.
Maine towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Maine town has 15.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Arundel’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (10% of Maine towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% 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 is a Census survey estimate (±4.5 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata gives 1915.
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 Arundel’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The area now known as Arundel, while sometimes referred to by that name, was part of Kennebunkport until 1915, when it was set off and named North Kennebunkport. In 1957, following the publication of Kenneth Roberts's Chronicles of Arundel, the state legislature renamed the town for Lord Arundel.
Kennebunkport itself had been called Arundel from 1701 to 1821, when it received its present name. The name Arundel originally came from the town of Arundel in West Sussex, England.
Passages that mention Arundel, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of York County, Maine. With illustrations and biographical sketches of its prominent men and pioneers1880Read the page →
Read the text
term of years. In 1820 the class had increased to 20, and Oliver Fail-child was appointed leader. A circuit was set off from Scarborough this year by the New England Conference, and called Arundel, and in it was included an appointment at the village. The Rev. James Jaques was preacher in charge. At first it was a four, but afterwards it became a two, weeks' circuit, till 1833, when it became a station under the care of Rev. R. J. Ayer. The first meet-
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Timeline
Arundel, 1807 to 2020
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
The Arundel post office opened in 1807, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1915.
How does Arundel rank for history?
Arundel is more historic than 37% of U.S. towns, #136 of 143 in Maine. 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 Arundel?
6% of Arundel’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.5 points), against a typical 19% for a Maine 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 (10), the Library of Congress (1), Wikipedia, 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 old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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