More historic than 10% of U.S. towns · #53 of 73 in New Mexico. What drives it
Most of Hobbs was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1980. Below: 11 old photos and papers, maps from 1969 on, and the census since 1930.
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1910.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Hobbs’ History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Hobbs is more historic than 10% of U.S. towns, #53 of 73 in New Mexico. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Hobbs’ overall grade.
New Mexico towns list about as much on the Register as the country (a typical New Mexico town has 2.2 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Hobbs’ 0.0 sits below most of its state (28% of New Mexico 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 C−. The pre-1940 share (±1.6 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1907.
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 Hobbs’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Hobbs was founded in 1907 when James Isaac Hobbs established a homestead and named the settlement. In 1910, the Hobbs post office opened, with James Hobbs as the first postmaster. By 1911, about 25 landowners lived in Hobbs.
The small, isolated settlement expanded rapidly following the discovery of oil by the Midwest Oil Company in 1927. A refinery was built the following year, and in 1929, the town of Hobbs was officially incorporated. At the peak of this oil boom, over 12,000 people lived in Hobbs. When the Great Depression hit, oil prices dropped and the population fell to only about 3,000 in 1931. A few years later, though, activity picked up in the oilfields and the population climbed to about 14,000 in 1940.
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 1907, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Hobbs’ post office opened in 1910, and the census of 1930 counted 598 people here.
How does Hobbs rank for history?
Hobbs is more historic than 10% of U.S. towns, #53 of 73 in New Mexico. 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 Hobbs?
3% of Hobbs’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.6 points), against a typical 2.3% for a New Mexico town; the median home was built in 1980.
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 the Library of Congress (11), 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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