Buxton’s post office opened in 1882, and 1 of its places is on the National Register
More historic than 44% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Most of Buxton was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1995. 1 place in town is on the National Register, among them the Cape Hatteras Light Station, a National Historic Landmark, and a historic district with 4 buildings.
How Buxton began
When was Buxton founded?
The Buxton post office opened in 1882, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, The Cape (1873), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
How historic is Buxton?
More historic than 44% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
What drives Buxton’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Buxton is more historic than 44% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
North Carolina towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical North Carolina town has 12.5 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Buxton’s 31.6 sits near the middle of its state (65% of North Carolina towns have fewer) while its 4 historic buildings outnumber those of 68% of U.S. towns.
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 →
1 listing protects 4 historic buildings
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. One is a National Historic Landmark, the highest tier.
★ LandmarkNational Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds
Buxton’s post office has been open since 1882. Another post office, The Cape, opened and closed inside today’s town.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
History across the town line
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
Questions about Buxton’s history
What year was Buxton founded?
The Buxton post office opened in 1882, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Buxton rank for history?
Buxton is more historic than 44% 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.
What is on the National Register in Buxton?
One place: the Cape Hatteras Light Station (listed 1978).
How old are the homes in Buxton?
6% of Buxton’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.2 points), against a typical 4.1% for a North Carolina town; the median home was built in 1995.
Memory lane
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
Where this page comes from
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 the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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.