Durham’s post office opened in 1853, and 64 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 55% of U.S. towns · #122 of 290 in North Carolina. What drives it
Most of Durham was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1995. 64 places in town are on the National Register, among them 4 National Historic Landmarks and ten historic districts with 3,848 buildings between them. Below: 3 old photos and papers, maps from 1884 on, and the census since 1880.
The Durham post office opened in 1853, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1869. Six smaller post offices, Braggtown (1880), Brassfield (1882) and Carr (1886), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
First census: 2,041 in 18802020 census: 283,506173 years
How historic is Durham?
B
More historic than 55% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Durham post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1869.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Durham’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Durham is more historic than 55% of U.S. towns, #122 of 290 in North Carolina. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Durham’s overall grade.
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Durham ranks #223 on History.
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 Durham’s 135 sits above most of its state (80% of North Carolina towns have fewer) while its 3,933 historic buildings outnumber those of 100% 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 (±0.4 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1869 falls in the same era, so the grade doesn’t depend on which one is used.
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 Durham’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. 4 are National Historic Landmarks, the highest tier. Boundary changes and added documentation are counted with their listing.
The Eno and the Occoneechi, related to the Sioux and the Shakori, lived in the area and may have established a village named Adshusheer (or Ajusher) in the area which became Durham. The Occaneechi Path, a corridor of trading roads and trails, went through the area. Native Americans expanded the region by establishing settlements and commercial transportation routes.
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.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Durham. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1951Durham South sheet · 1:62,500
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Durham.
Every building
Durham, building by building, 1884–1913
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.
The Durham post office opened in 1853, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1869.
How does Durham rank for history?
Durham is more historic than 55% of U.S. towns, #122 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 Durham?
64 listings, 4 of them National Historic Landmarks: 38 buildings, among them the Duke Homestead and Tobacco Factory (listed 1966, the first), 23 historic districts with 3,848 contributing buildings, and 2 sites. 3,933 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Durham?
5% of Durham’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 4.1% for a North Carolina town; the median home was built in 1995.
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 (3), Wikidata (3), the National Register of Historic Places (64), 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.
★ Landmark
★ Landmark
★ Landmark
★ Landmark
1915
