Knightdale’s post office opened in 1908, and 3 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 20% of U.S. towns · #206 of 290 in North Carolina. What drives it
Most of Knightdale was built recently: 1% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2008. 3 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 6 buildings. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1967 on, and the census since 1930.
Founding year: the first Knightdale post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1927.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Knightdale’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Knightdale is more historic than 20% of U.S. towns, #206 of 290 in North Carolina. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Knightdale’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 Knightdale’s 6.4 sits near the middle of its state (48% of North Carolina towns have fewer) while its 13 historic buildings outnumber those of 77% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to C. The pre-1940 share (±1.0 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1927 falls in the same era, so the grade doesn’t depend on which one is used.
Founding year: the first post office (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 Knightdale’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
In 1700, the Lords Proprietor of the Carolina Colony hired John Lawson to explore the area. He began his 1,000-mile (1,600 km) trek near present-day Charleston, South Carolina, and according to his diary, passed through the area sometime in February 1701. He wrote about a meeting with the Tuscarora Native American tribe on the banks of the Neuse River, and with the help of an interpreter, Lawson made peace with the Tuscarora.
After receiving the report from Lawson, the King of England began to apportion these lands to willing settlers. In 1730, John Hinton settled in what would one day be called Knightdale in an area near the Neuse River, not far from where Hodge Road and Old Faison Road now intersect.
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.
The Knightdale post office opened in 1908, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1927.
How does Knightdale rank for history?
Knightdale is more historic than 20% of U.S. towns, #206 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 Knightdale?
Three places: the Beaver Dam (listed 1987), the Midway Plantation House and Outbuildings (2007) and the Henry H. and Bettie S. Knight Farm (1988).
How old are the homes in Knightdale?
1% of Knightdale’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 2008.
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), the Library of Congress (2), the National Register of Historic Places (3), 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.
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