5 places in town are on the National Register, among them four historic districts with 74 buildings between them. Below: 6 old photos and papers from 1908 on.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1884.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Latta’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Latta is more historic than 80% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Latta’s 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 Latta’s 515 sits above most of its state (97% of South Carolina towns have fewer) while its 75 historic buildings outnumber those of 88% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±7.3 points). Two sources give 1887.
Founding year: Wikidata (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 Latta’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Latta was established in 1887. The town arose from a need for a railroad, which helped to eliminate "the need to travel to Wilmington, North Carolina, in order to reach many points in South Carolina." Thus, the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad built two depots; one in the city of Dillon and the other 7 miles (11 km) to the south in Latta. The depots were completed in 1888. Many families were drawn to this area, and in March 1890, "the town of Latta was incorporated by the state legislature and received its charter."
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.
In 1887, according to Wikidata. Latta’s post office opened in 1884.
How does Latta rank for history?
Latta is more historic than 80% 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.
What is on the National Register in Latta?
5 listings: 1 building and 4 historic districts with 74 contributing buildings. 75 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Latta?
23% of Latta’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.3 points), against a typical 3.5% for a South Carolina town; the median home was built in 1963.
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 (6), the National Register of Historic Places (5), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.
c. 1908
1908
1917