Dallas’ post office opened in 1848, and 4 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 76% of U.S. towns · #66 of 290 in North Carolina. What drives it
Most of Dallas was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1998. 4 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 115 buildings. Below: maps from 1914 on and the census since 1870.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Dallas is more historic than 76% of U.S. towns, #66 of 290 in North Carolina. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Dallas’ overall grade.
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 Dallas’ 197 sits above most of its state (84% of North Carolina towns have fewer) while its 120 historic buildings outnumber those of 90% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B− to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.2 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata gives 1863.
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 Dallas’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Dallas was officially incorporated in 1863 and is the oldest incorporated town in Gaston County. It served as the original county seat for Gaston County from 1846 until 1911. The old Gaston County courthouse, renovated in 1868 after a fire, still stands in the main square of the town and formerly served as the headquarters of the Dallas Police Department. The town government has renovated the courthouse.
The Dallas post office opened in 1848, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1863.
How does Dallas rank for history?
Dallas is more historic than 76% of U.S. towns, #66 of 290 in North Carolina. 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 Dallas?
4 listings: 3 buildings, among them the Hoyle House (listed 1993, the first), and 1 historic district, the Dallas Historic District, with 115 contributing buildings. 120 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Dallas?
6% of Dallas’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.2 points), against a typical 4.1% for a North Carolina town; the median home was built in 1998.
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), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (4), Wikipedia, 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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