Most of Coldwater was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1979. Below: maps from 1886 on and the census since 1880.
Founding year: the first Coldwater post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Coldwater’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Coldwater is more historic than 19% of U.S. towns. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Coldwater’s overall grade.
Mississippi towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Mississippi town has 71.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Coldwater’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (19% of Mississippi 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 D to C−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.4 points). 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 Coldwater’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
1886Sheet 1 of 1
Edition
Sheets
BrickWoodStone
Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
The town square of Coldwater is approximately two miles south of the Coldwater River, hence the name. The original town began in 1856, called the village of Elm Grove. Construction of the Mississippi and Tennessee Railroad through here in 1856 stimulated development. Rows of stores and other businesses developed on both sides of the tracks, along with houses of worship. Because the Depot was named Coldwater, the town eventually changed its name from Elm Grove to Coldwater. Coldwater was officially incorporated in 1872. At that time, the Town was located in DeSoto County and was a mile square, with the railroad depot at the center. The area was developed for cotton plantations and Coldwater became a trading center.
Central Tate Elementary SchoolschoolColdwater Airportairport
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Coldwater
ColdwaterMagnolia
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Coldwater’s history
What year was Coldwater founded?
The Coldwater post office opened in 1870, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Coldwater rank for history?
Coldwater is more historic than 19% of U.S. towns. 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 Coldwater?
4% of Coldwater’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.4 points), against a typical 4.5% for a Mississippi town; the median home was built in 1979.
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 (12), 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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