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History · Rex

Rex’s post office opened in 1896

Most of Rex was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1998. Below: maps from 1972 on.

1896first post office
0on the National Register
0.0%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Gerry Dincher · CC BY-SA 2.0
Quick answers

How Rex began

When was Rex founded?

1896

The Rex post office opened in 1896, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 50130 years
Founding year: the first Rex post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Rex’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Rex are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Rex’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Rex’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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The story so far

Rex, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Rex yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Rex is a census-designated place (CDP) in Robeson County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2020 census, Rex had a population of 50. It ranked fourth on the list of the highest-income places in the United States.

Its first post office opened in 1896. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 55 to 50 (-9%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
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On the map

Rex on the map, 1972 to 1983

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Rex. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Rex on the 1972 USGS mapRex on the 1983 USGS map1972Rennert sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Rex.

Famous people

Famous people close to Rex

Nobody well known was born in Rex itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Brian Tyree HenryAmerican actor · b. 1982
Ellen S. BakerAmerican physician and astronaut · b. 1953
Afeni ShakurAmerican political activist · b. 1947
Hiram Rhodes RevelsAmerican politician · b. 1827
Dennis Smith Jr.American basketball player · b. 1997
Eric MaynorAmerican basketball player · b. 1987

Questions about Rex’s history

What year was Rex founded?

The Rex post office opened in 1896, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

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). How TownRatings grades history →

From U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.