Half of Ben Avon’s homes were built after 1976
More historic than 8% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Most of Ben Avon was built recently: 1% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1976. Below: maps from 1947 on.
About Ben Avon’s history
How historic is Ben Avon?
More historic than 8% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
What drives Ben Avon’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Ben Avon is more historic than 8% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
South Carolina towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical South Carolina town has 3.2 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Ben Avon’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (23% of South Carolina towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
Founding year: our sources. 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 Ben Avon’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Start Ben Avon’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Ben Avon’s history is told.
Old corners and burying grounds
Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.
Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
No old photos in the archives yet
Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Ben Avon on the map, 1947 to 1983
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Ben Avon. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1947Spartanburg sheet · 1:62,500U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Ben Avon.
Famous people close to Ben Avon
Nobody well known was born in Ben Avon itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
History across the town line
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
Questions about Ben Avon’s history
How does Ben Avon rank for history?
Ben Avon is more historic than 8% of U.S. towns. 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 Ben Avon?
1% of Ben Avon’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.8 points), against a typical 3.5% for a South Carolina town; the median home was built in 1976.
Memory lane
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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).
From U.S. Geological Survey historical maps 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.