Goldsboro dates to 1787, and 6 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 65% of U.S. towns · #92 of 290 in North Carolina. What drives it
Most of Goldsboro was built recently: 8% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1975. Below: 9 old photos and papers, maps from 1885 on, and the census since 1860.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1841.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Goldsboro’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Goldsboro is more historic than 65% of U.S. towns, #92 of 290 in North Carolina. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Goldsboro’s 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 Goldsboro’s 4.1 sits near the middle of its state (45% of North Carolina towns have fewer) while its 14 historic buildings outnumber those of 78% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1787.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B− to A−. The pre-1940 share (±1.6 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 Goldsboro’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds
Goldsboro’s post office has been open since 1841. Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
Goldsboro
1841–today
Millard
1852–1857
Greenleaf
1886–1912
18401930today
Hamlets and corners on the map
AdamsvilleAirboroBayleafBerkeley VillageBorden HomesCarver HeightsCaseys Trailer LodgeForest HillGreen MeadowsGreenleafHandley AcresHillcrest FarmMcArthur ManorMimosa ParkOak ForestPinemontPinewoodPleasant ViewRavenwoodRidgewoodSalem AcresSeymour Johnson HomesSouth GoldsboroSpring Hill
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Goldsboro
GreenleafWillow Dale
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Every building
Goldsboro, building by building, 1885–1918
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.
Around 1787, when Wayne County was formed, a town named Waynesborough grew around the county's courthouse. In 1787, William Whitfield III (son of William Whitfield II) and his son were appointed "Directors and Trustees"
for designing and building the town. Located on the east bank of the Neuse River, the town became the county seat. Population growth in Waynesborough continued through the 1830s. However, that changed once the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad was completed in the early 1840s. By then, a hotel had been built at the intersection of the railroad and New Bern Road, which grew into a community after the train started to transport passengers from there.
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 1787, according to Wikidata. Goldsboro’s post office opened in 1841, and the census of 1860 counted 885 people here.
How does Goldsboro rank for history?
Goldsboro is more historic than 65% of U.S. towns, #92 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 Goldsboro?
6 listings: 6 buildings, among them the Goldsboro Union Station (listed 1977, the first). 14 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Goldsboro?
8% of Goldsboro’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.6 points), against a typical 4.1% for a North Carolina town; the median home was built in 1975.
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 (8), the Library of Congress (1), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (6), 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.
1880
1907
1907
1907
1907
1907
1907
