Kinston dates to 1762, and 12% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 93% of U.S. towns · #6 of 290 in North Carolina. What drives it
25 places in town are on the National Register, among them eight historic districts with 491 buildings between them. Below: 10 old photos and papers, maps from 1885 on, and the census since 1850.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1794.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Kinston’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Kinston is more historic than 93% of U.S. towns, #6 of 290 in North Carolina. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its age ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Kinston’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 Kinston’s 262 sits above most of its state (88% of North Carolina towns have fewer) while its 511 historic buildings outnumber those of 97% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1762.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A+. The pre-1940 share (±2.7 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 Kinston’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
At the time of English settlement, the area was inhabited by the Neusiok people. Preceding the historic tribe, indigenous peoples of a variety of cultures had lived in the area for thousands of years. Before the English colonists established the city, the area was called "Atkins Bank", referring to a bluff once owned by Robert Atkins just above the Neuse River; it was the site of farms, a tobacco warehouse, and a Church of England mission.
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 Kinston. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1914Kinston 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 Kinston.
Every building
Kinston, building by building, 1885–1925
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.
In 1762, according to Wikidata. Kinston’s post office opened in 1794, and the census of 1850 counted 455 people here.
How does Kinston rank for history?
Kinston is more historic than 93% of U.S. towns, #6 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 Kinston?
25 listings: 16 buildings, among them the Peebles House (listed 1971, the first), 8 historic districts with 491 contributing buildings, and 1 structure. 511 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Kinston?
12% of Kinston’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.7 points), against a typical 4.1% for a North Carolina town; the median home was built in 1966.
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 (6), the Library of Congress (4), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (25), 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.
1906
1924
1936
1936![Hill's Kinston (Lenoir County, N.C.) City Directory [1958]](https://images.townratings.com/story/12387/e735284738105714b8b9-s.jpg)
1958
