More historic than 10% of U.S. towns · #232 of 290 in North Carolina. What drives it
Most of Locust was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2006. Below: maps from 1980 on and the census since 1880.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Locust is more historic than 10% of U.S. towns, #232 of 290 in North Carolina. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Locust’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 Locust’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (19% of North Carolina towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D− to D. The pre-1940 share (±0.8 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: the first census (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 Locust’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Locust yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Locust is a small rural city in Stanly and Cabarrus counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, Locust had a population of 4,537. It has seen substantial growth lately due to the urban sprawl from the Charlotte area.
Its first post office opened in 1880. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 2,930 to 4,537 (+55%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Locust, 1869 to 1988
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
The Locust post office opened in 1880, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Locust rank for history?
Locust is more historic than 10% of U.S. towns, #232 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.
How old are the homes in Locust?
0.0% of Locust’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 4.1% for a North Carolina town; the median home was built in 2006.
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 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.
