More historic than 11% of U.S. towns · #132 of 169 in South Carolina. What drives it
Most of Boiling Springs was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2006. Below: maps from 1959 on and the census since 2000.
Founding year: the first Boiling Springs post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).
History grade
What drives Boiling Springs’ History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Boiling Springs is more historic than 11% of U.S. towns, #132 of 169 in South Carolina. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Boiling Springs’ overall grade.
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 Boiling Springs’ 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.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D− to C−. The pre-1940 share (±0.4 points) is firm at this size. 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 Boiling Springs’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
5cemeteries and burying grounds inside Boiling Springs
Boiling Springs First Baptist ChurchBoiling Springs Memorial GardensChrist United Methodist ChurchGood Shepherd Memorial ParkHolden Chapel Missionary Baptist Church
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
The story so far
Boiling Springs, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Boiling Springs yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Boiling Springs is a census-designated place (CDP) in Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 8,219 at the 2010 census. In the 2020 census, the population rose to 10,405.
Its first post office opened in 1855. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 8,219 to 10,405 (+27%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Boiling Springs, 1855 to 1991
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Boiling Springs. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1959Cowpens 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 Boiling Springs.
People over time
Boiling Springs, census by census
Grew from 4,544 people in 2000 to 10,405 in 2020.
3 censuses, 2000–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Boiling Springs’ Wikipedia page.
Famous people
2 famous people were born in Boiling Springs
Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.
The Boiling Springs post office opened in 1855, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Boiling Springs rank for history?
Boiling Springs is more historic than 11% of U.S. towns, #132 of 169 in South Carolina. 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 Boiling Springs?
0.0% of Boiling Springs’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 3.5% for a South Carolina town; the median home was built in 2006.
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 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.
