More historic than 14% of U.S. towns · #108 of 131 in Oklahoma. What drives it
Most of Piedmont was built recently: 1% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2001. Below: maps from 1967 on and the census since 1910.
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1903.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Piedmont’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Piedmont is more historic than 14% of U.S. towns, #108 of 131 in Oklahoma. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Piedmont’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 Piedmont’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (18% of Oklahoma 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 (±1.7 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1889.
Founding year: Wikipedia (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 Piedmont’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The city of Piedmont was founded on land claimed during the Unassigned Land Run of April 22, 1889. The town was founded in 1903 by Dr. E. H. Long.
Piedmont's success was spurred by the now-defunct St. Louis, El Reno and Western Railway that extended a line from Guthrie to El Reno, which allowed it to become an agricultural market center. However, the railroad ceased to operate in 1924.
Piedmont remained a small but stable rural community for the first half of the 20th century. Starting in the 1970s, the town became an increasingly popular bedroom community for those working in nearby Oklahoma City. Development of the "Northwest Expressway" (Oklahoma State Highway 3) resulted in population growth of 124%.
In 1889, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Piedmont’s post office opened in 1903, and the census of 1910 counted 255 people here.
How does Piedmont rank for history?
Piedmont is more historic than 14% of U.S. towns, #108 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.
How old are the homes in Piedmont?
1% of Piedmont’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.7 points), against a typical 7.0% for an Oklahoma town; the median home was built in 2001.
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 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.
