More historic than 13% of U.S. towns · #218 of 290 in North Carolina. What drives it
Most of Mint Hill was built recently: 0.9% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1992. Below: maps from 1949 on and the census since 1900.
The Mint Hill post office opened in 1860, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1971. Two smaller post offices, Orrville (1833) and Burdett (1880), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 192 in 19002020 census: 26,450166 years
How historic is Mint Hill?
D
More historic than 13% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Mint Hill post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1971.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Mint Hill’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Mint Hill is more historic than 13% of U.S. towns, #218 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 Mint Hill’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 Mint Hill’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 still be D. The pre-1940 share (±0.7 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata gives 1971.
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 Mint Hill’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Mint Hill was founded around 1750 by Scottish-Irish pioneers. It was the first town created in Mecklenburg County.
It is not known exactly when Mint Hill received its first charter, but in 1910, town officials gave up the charter so that Mecklenburg County would build a road through Mint Hill. Between 1910 and 1971, Mint Hill ran on its own without elected town officials.
The Mint Hill post office opened in 1860, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1971.
How does Mint Hill rank for history?
Mint Hill is more historic than 13% of U.S. towns, #218 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 Mint Hill?
0.9% of Mint Hill’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 4.1% for a North Carolina town; the median home was built in 1992.
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 (3), 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.
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