Pittsboro dates to 1785, and 15 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 67% of U.S. towns · #87 of 290 in North Carolina. What drives it
Most of Pittsboro was built recently: 0.6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2002. 15 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 222 buildings between them. Below: 10 old photos and papers, maps from 1970 on, and the census since 1900.
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1819.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Pittsboro’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Pittsboro is more historic than 67% of U.S. towns, #87 of 290 in North Carolina. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Pittsboro’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 Pittsboro’s 509 sits above most of its state (94% of North Carolina towns have fewer) while its 242 historic buildings outnumber those of 94% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to A. The pre-1940 share (±0.9 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1785.
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 Pittsboro’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Pittsboro was established as a town in 1785. The Chatham County Court House was built on land belonging to Mial Scurlock, but in 1787 the legislature declared that a town could not be established on Scurlock's land. The town's trustees instead purchased adjacent land belonging to William Petty and laid out the town. That same year, Pittsboro was officially named the county seat. Although Chatham County is named for William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham, Pittsboro is named for his son, William Pitt the Younger.
Pittsboro was once considered as a site for both the University of North Carolina and the state capital. The university was established in Chapel Hill, beginning in 1789. The state capital is Raleigh, 34 miles (55 km) east of Pittsboro.
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.
In 1785, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Pittsboro’s post office opened in 1819, and the census of 1900 counted 424 people here.
How does Pittsboro rank for history?
Pittsboro is more historic than 67% of U.S. towns, #87 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 Pittsboro?
15 listings: 13 buildings, among them the Pittsboro Presbyterian Church (listed 1978, the first), and 2 historic districts, the Pittsboro Historic District and the Bynum Historic District, with 222 contributing buildings. 242 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Pittsboro?
0.6% of Pittsboro’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 4.1% for a North Carolina town; the median home was built in 2002.
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 (1), the Library of Congress (9), the National Register of Historic Places (15), 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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