Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
More historic than 34% of U.S. towns · #914 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
Below: 11 old photos and papers, maps from 1893 on, and the census since 1880.
Dallas dates its founding to 1797 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1880.
More historic than 34% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Dallas is more historic than 34% of U.S. towns, #914 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
Pennsylvania towns list about as much on the Register as the country (a typical Pennsylvania town has 2.1 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Dallas’ 0.0 sits below most of its state (25% of Pennsylvania towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
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 →
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Dallas. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Dallas.
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Born herePetie Behan is born here
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
In the archiveThe pines
In the archiveClub house, Irem Temple Country Club, Pennsylvania (75656)
Born hereGreg Manusky is born hereFrom Wikipedia’s history of Dallas.
Dallas was first settled in 1797. It was later incorporated as a borough on April 21, 1879, from land entirely within Dallas Township. The township had been formed in 1817 and was named for Alexander J. Dallas, who was the 6th United States Secretary of the Treasury and the father of George M. Dallas, the vice president of James Polk.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention Dallas, cut from the printed page as they were published.
The enterprising and liberal men of the township had built and organized a most excellent high school at the village of Dallas, and in the unfolding of events it became apparent that it would be necessary to incorporate the place into a borough in order to protect the interests of the school. Therefore the court was petitioned and a charter granted April 21, 1879. The boundary lines are surrounded by Dallas township from which it was taken entire, being a little south of the center of the township. Dwight Woloott was chosen first l^rgef^s; council: Jacob Rice, Ira D.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Dallas, a borough of more importance than many that are ten times larger in population, was incorporated on April 21, 1879, but had long before made itself the principal community of that upland part of the county. Its early history is part of that of King-ston and Dallas townships.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Plymouth built two schoolhouses soon after the Revolution. Nanticoke was using a schoolhouse of logs in 1820 ; Dallas built a hewn-log schoolhouse in 1816; Exeter had a log schoolhouse before 1800, and long before had had a school maintained by township tax. In Plains a schoolhouse of round logs was built in 1818. In Newport township was a schoolhouse as early as 1803.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The first schoolhouse in Dallas township (now in Dallas borough) was erected in 1816, built of hewn logs by William Honeywell, I'hilip Shaver, William Hunt and John Honeywell.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
2 decades in the archive, from the 1900s to the 1930s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
1906The pinesc. 1930Club house, Irem Temple Country Club, Pennsylvania (7…
c. 1930Irem Temple Country Club, Dallas, PA. (near Wilkes-Ba…
c. 1930Irem Temple Country Club, Pennsylvania (63533)
c. 1930McAuley Hall, College Misericodia, Dallas, Pa (78745)
c. 1930McGann Hall, College Misericodia, Dallas, Pa (78744)
c. 1930Misericordia College, Dallas, Pennsylvania (65413)
c. 1930St. Joseph's Cottage, College Misericodia, Dallas, Pa…
c. 1930Swimming pool, Irem Temple Country Club, Pennsylvania…
c. 1930Swimming pool, Irem Temple Country Club, Pennsylvania…
c. 1930Teeing off, Irem Temple Country Club, Pennsylvania (7…No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Dallas’ page.
Retake this view · +15Between 272 and 2,804 people in every census since 1880.
15 censuses, 1880–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Dallas’ Wikipedia page.
Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.
Dallas’s post office has been open since 1826.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
In 1797, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Dallas’ post office opened in 1826, and the census of 1880 counted 272 people here.
Dallas is more historic than 34% of U.S. towns, #914 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. 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.
13% of Dallas’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.3 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1969.
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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 (14), the Library of Congress (1), 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 old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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2012