Southern Pines dates to 1884, and 7 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 63% of U.S. towns · #97 of 290 in North Carolina. What drives it
Most of Southern Pines was built recently: 8% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1996. 7 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 490 buildings. Below: 5 old photos and papers, maps from 1948 on, and the census since 1900.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1885.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Southern Pines’ History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Southern Pines is more historic than 63% of U.S. towns, #97 of 290 in North Carolina. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Southern Pines’ 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 Southern Pines’ 308 sits above most of its state (90% of North Carolina towns have fewer) while its 506 historic buildings outnumber those of 97% 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 (±2.5 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1884.
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 Southern Pines’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Founded as a winter health resort for Northerners, land for the establishment of a town was purchased in 1884 and the town was incorporated on March 7, 1887.
As of 1898, it was a sundown town where African Americans were not allowed to reside or conduct business.
The James Boyd House, Shaw House, Southern Pines Historic District, Firleigh Farms, and Moore County Hunt Lands and Mile-Away Farms are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Southern Pines Golf Club, one of Donald Ross' earliest courses, was founded in 1906.
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.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Southern Pines. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1948Southern Pines sheet · 1:62,500
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Southern Pines.
Then & now
Stand where they stood
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.
Retake this view1914BALSPNC, 1914
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Southern Pines’ page.
In 1884, according to Wikidata. Southern Pines’ post office opened in 1885, and the census of 1900 counted 517 people here.
How does Southern Pines rank for history?
Southern Pines is more historic than 63% of U.S. towns, #97 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 Southern Pines?
7 listings: 6 buildings, among them the James Boyd House (listed 1977, the first), and 1 historic district, the Southern Pines Historic District, with 490 contributing buildings. 506 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Southern Pines?
8% of Southern Pines’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.5 points), against a typical 4.1% for a North Carolina town; the median home was built in 1996.
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 (6), the National Register of Historic Places (7), 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.
1916
2004
