More historic than 12% of U.S. towns · #83 of 100 in Mississippi. What drives it
Most of Pearl was built recently: 0.6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1982. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1905 on, and the census since 1980.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1874.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Pearl’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Pearl is more historic than 12% of U.S. towns, #83 of 100 in Mississippi. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Pearl’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 Pearl’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.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1865.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D− to D. The pre-1940 share (±0.6 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: Wikidata (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 Pearl’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
According to a historical sketch published by the City of Pearl, Harry Long received an 80-acre land grant in 1825 in present-day Rankin County, making him the first documented settler in the area of present-day Pearl. The area remained sparsely populated during the early 19th century, when the Pearl River limited eastward settlement from Jackson into Rankin County.
Transportation improvements helped spur development. The Jackson and Brandon Railroad and Bridge Company was chartered in 1836 and again in 1841 to build a bridge and railroad line connecting Brandon and Jackson. The railroad opened in 1849, and the bridge was completed in June 1850.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
In 1865, according to Wikidata. Pearl’s post office opened in 1874, and the census of 1980 counted 18,602 people here.
How does Pearl rank for history?
Pearl is more historic than 12% of U.S. towns, #83 of 100 in Mississippi. 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 Pearl?
0.6% of Pearl’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 4.5% for a Mississippi town; the median home was built in 1982.
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 (4), 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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