Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Most of Holden Beach was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1992. Below: maps from 1943 on and the census since 1970.
The Holden Beach post office opened in 1951, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1969.
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Holden Beach’s history is told.
From Wikipedia’s history of Holden Beach.
Before the American Revolution, early settlers seeking land near Lockwood's Folly River applied for patents and received warrants for surveys of selected tracts. Upon payment of fifty shillings for each 100 acres (400,000 m2), the warrantee could receive a permanent grant for Royal Governor Arthur Dobbs.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
2011Holden Beach Sunrise 5
2011Holden Beach Sunrise 4
2011Holden Beach Sunrise 3
2011Holden Beach Sunrise 2
2011Holden Beach Sunrise 1
2011Holden Beach Sand
2011Holden Beach Blvd
2011Holden Beach Access Steps
2011Holden Beach Access
2008Sunset at Holden Beach Pier
2007Oceansunset
2007Holden Beach Bridge crossing of the ICWEvery edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Holden Beach. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Holden Beach.
Grew from 136 people in 1970 to 921 in 2020, 6 times over.
6 censuses, 1970–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Holden Beach’s Wikipedia page.
Nobody well known was born in Holden Beach itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
Holden Beach had its own post office from 1951 to 1955.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
The Holden Beach post office opened in 1951, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1969.
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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). How TownRatings grades history →
From Wikimedia Commons (12), 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.
