King dates to 1888, and 1 of its places is on the National Register
More historic than 40% of U.S. towns · #154 of 290 in North Carolina. What drives it
Most of King was built recently: 0.9% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1985. 1 place in town is on the National Register, among them a historic district with 72 buildings. Below: maps from 1964 on and the census since 1990.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1871.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives King’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, King is more historic than 40% of U.S. towns, #154 of 290 in North Carolina. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of King’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 King’s 97.2 sits above most of its state (75% of North Carolina towns have fewer) while its 72 historic buildings outnumber those of 87% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to B. The pre-1940 share (±1.0 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1888.
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 King’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The town was originally called "King's Cabin". Charles and Francis King lived in a cabin owned by Francis's father for a short time in the 1830s. Being Quakers and against slavery, the King family moved to the free North. According to television journalist and historian Chad Tucker's book Images of America, King (2006), after the King family left their home it was used by locals as a landmark or reference point in giving directions. Several decades later when a post office was established in 1888 it was named for that reference point, King's Cabin. The railroad laid tracks a few years later and shortened the name to "King" in its business transactions, and to eliminate confusion the post office followed on September 26, 1894. Charles and Francis King never returned to Stokes County and never knew their former home became the namesake of a town.
party were not so orgulous [arrogantly eager] as they were beforehand to do battle. Of this war was noised through all Christendom, and at the last it was noised afore the Pope; and he considering the great goodness of King Arthur [let send letters to Sir Launcelot how that he should bring the queen back to King Arthur. And so, when King Arthur had carried his host back to his own country, came Sir Launcelot to King Arthur's court and gave him again his queen].
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Then it befell that King Anguish of Ireland sent to King Mark of Cornwall for his truage [tribute], which Cornwall had paid many winters afore time, and all that time King Mark was behind of the truage for seven years. And King Mark and his barons gave unto the messenger of Ireland this answer, and said that they would none pay, and bade the messenger go unto his King Anguish and tell him, "that we will pay him no truage; but tell your lord, and he will always
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Timeline
King, 1871 to 1964
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
In 1888, according to Wikidata. King’s post office opened in 1871, and the census of 1990 counted 4,059 people here.
How does King rank for history?
King is more historic than 40% of U.S. towns, #154 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 King?
One place: the King Historic District (listed 2002).
How old are the homes in King?
0.9% of King’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.0 points), against a typical 4.1% for a North Carolina town; the median home was built in 1985.
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 Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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 old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
![party were not so orgulous [arrogantly eager] as they were beforehand to do battle. Of this war was noised through all Christendom, and at the last it was noised afore the Pope; and he considering the great goodness of King Arthur [let send letters to Sir Launcelot how that he should bring the quee…](https://images.townratings.com/story/12312/bk-8d4fcb4f72530096-l.jpg)
![Then it befell that King Anguish of Ireland sent to King Mark of Cornwall for his truage [tribute], which Cornwall had paid many winters afore time, and all that time King Mark was behind of the truage for seven years. And King Mark and his barons gave unto the messenger of Ireland this answer, and…](https://images.townratings.com/story/12312/bk-a5ac3865db3f95ef-l.jpg)
