Hobart’s post office opened in 1901, and 33% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 73% of U.S. towns · #14 of 131 in Oklahoma. What drives it
5 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 68 buildings. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1904 on, and the census since 1910.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Hobart is more historic than 73% of U.S. towns, #14 of 131 in Oklahoma. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Hobart’s overall grade.
Oklahoma towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Oklahoma town has 5.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Hobart’s 214 sits above most of its state (99% of Oklahoma towns have fewer) while its 72 historic buildings outnumber those of 87% 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 is a Census survey estimate (±5.9 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (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 Hobart’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The present town of Hobart began almost overnight on August 6, 1901, when lots on the former Kiowa-Apache-Comanche Reservation in southern Oklahoma Territory were put up for sale. It quickly became the residence of 2,936 people, mostly living in tents. Initially, the town was nicknamed "Ragtown". Wooden structures replaced tents as fast as possible. By 1903, Hobart had electric lights, an ice plant, and some large wholesale businesses. It also had a wooden courthouse. It developed into a town whose economy was based on the production of cotton. At statehood in November 1907, Hobart had a population of 3,136.
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 Hobart. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1961Hobart 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 Hobart.
Every building
Hobart, building by building, 1904–1926
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
The Hobart post office opened in 1901, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Hobart rank for history?
Hobart is more historic than 73% of U.S. towns, #14 of 131 in Oklahoma. 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 Hobart?
5 listings: 4 buildings, among them the Hobart City Hall (listed 1978, the first), and 1 historic district, the Downtown Hobart Historic District, with 68 contributing buildings. 72 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Hobart?
33% of Hobart’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.9 points), against a typical 7.0% for an Oklahoma town; the median home was built in 1955.
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 (2), Wikidata (4), the National Register of Historic Places (5), 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), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
