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History · Rio Grande

Rio Grande’s post office opened in 1846

Most of Rio Grande was built recently: 10% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1986. Below: the census since 1940.

1846first post office
0on the National Register
10%homes built before 1940
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Vbofficial · Public domain
Quick answers

How Rio Grande began

When was Rio Grande founded?

1846

The Rio Grande post office opened in 1846, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 204 in 19402020 census: 724180 years
Founding year: the first Rio Grande post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Rio Grande’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 Rio Grande are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 995 in 1990; 724 people lived here in 2020.Deep rootsA post office since 1846: 180 years of Rio Grande.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Rio Grande’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Rio Grande, census by census

02004006008001,00019401960198020002020Peak: 995

Peaked at 995 in 1990; 724 people lived here in 2020.

9 censuses, 1940–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Rio Grande’s Wikipedia page.

Timeline

Rio Grande, 1846 to 1990

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1846Post officeThe Rio Grande post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1920Born hereDavis Eugene Boster is born here
  5. 1938Born hereClyde Evans is born here
  6. 1990CensusPopulation peaks at 995
The story

How Rio Grande came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Rio Grande.

Read it all →

Rio Grande was established on July 6, 1874. The name of Rio Grande was chosen to commemorate the Mexican–American War.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Rio Grande, decade by decade

Today3 recent
Map of Gallia County Ohio Highlighting Rio Grande Village2015Map of Gallia County Ohio Highlighting Rio Grande Vil…MapBobEvansFarmRioGrandeJuly20072007BobEvansFarmRioGrandeJuly2007OHMap-doton-Rio Grande2004OHMap-doton-Rio Grande
Famous people

2 famous people were born in Rio Grande

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
C
Clyde EvansAmerican politician · b. 1938
D
Davis Eugene BosterAmerican diplomat · b. 1920

Questions about Rio Grande’s history

What year was Rio Grande founded?

The Rio Grande post office opened in 1846, 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 Wikimedia Commons (3), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.