Hillsborough dates to 1754, and 19 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 90% of U.S. towns · #12 of 290 in North Carolina. What drives it
Most of Hillsborough was built recently: 8% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2001. 19 places in town are on the National Register, among them the Nash-Hooper House, a National Historic Landmark, and four historic districts with 544 buildings between them. Below: 4 old photos and papers, maps from 1968 on, and the census since 1800.
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1792.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Hillsborough’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Hillsborough is more historic than 90% of U.S. towns, #12 of 290 in North Carolina. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Hillsborough’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 Hillsborough’s 580 sits above most of its state (94% of North Carolina towns have fewer) while its 564 historic buildings outnumber those of 98% 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 (±2.1 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1754.
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 Hillsborough’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Local Native American groups had lived in the Hillsborough area for thousands of years by the time Spanish explorers entered the region. The Great Indian Trading Path, used by generations of Native Americans, crossed the Eno River in this area. Historic Siouan-language tribes such as the Occaneechi and the Eno were living in the Hillsborough area at the time of European contact. The English explorer John Lawson recorded visiting "Occaneechi Town" here when he traveled through North Carolina in 1701. The tribes suffered high losses due to new infectious diseases brought by Europeans and conflicts with northern Native American groups; most of the survivors were eventually pushed out of their territory by British and other European settlers.
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.
4cemeteries and burying grounds inside Hillsborough
Hillsborough TownMaplewoodMargaret LaneOld Town
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Hillsborough’s history
What year was Hillsborough founded?
In 1754, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Hillsborough’s post office opened in 1792, and the census of 1800 counted 474 people here.
How does Hillsborough rank for history?
Hillsborough is more historic than 90% of U.S. towns, #12 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 Hillsborough?
19 listings: 14 buildings, among them the Nash-Hooper House (a National Historic Landmark since 1971) and the Burwell School (listed 1970, the first), 4 historic districts with 544 contributing buildings, and 1 site. 564 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Hillsborough?
8% of Hillsborough’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.1 points), against a typical 4.1% for a North Carolina town; the median home was built in 2001.
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 (19), 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.
★ Landmark
1933
1933
