Most of Bells was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1994. Below: maps from 1959 on and the census since 1880.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1859.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Bells’ History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Bells is more historic than 21% of U.S. towns. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Bells’ overall grade.
Tennessee towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Tennessee town has 6.1 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Bells’ 0.0 sits below most of its state (16% of Tennessee 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 is a Census survey estimate (±5.4 points). Two sources give 1855.
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 Bells’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Bells was established in the late 1820s on land acquired by brothers John and William Bell. When a city was founded on this land in 1855, it was given the name "Bells Depot." The city was incorporated in 1868, and the "Depot" was dropped from the name in 1880.
Bells was the home of the now-defunct West Tennessee Okra Festival. The festival included a horse show, beauty pageant, street carnival and other activities and shows. The Festival was always held during August, the peak of the okra season.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Bells. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1959Bells sheet · 1:24,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Bells.
People over time
Bells, census by census
Grew from 540 people in 1880 to 2,463 in 2020, 4 times over.
15 censuses, 1880–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Bells’ Wikipedia page.
Places that used to be
Lost post offices and burying grounds
Bells’s post office has been open since 1894. Another post office, Bells Depot, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Bells Depot
1859–1894
Bells
1894–today
18501940today
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Bells
BelleviewSimmons
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Bells’ history
What year was Bells founded?
In 1855, according to Wikidata. Bells’ post office opened in 1859, and the census of 1880 counted 540 people here.
How does Bells rank for history?
Bells is more historic than 21% 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 Bells?
6% of Bells’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.4 points), against a typical 4.9% for a Tennessee town; the median home was built in 1994.
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 (5), 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.
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