Humboldt’s post office opened in 1858, and 5 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 46% of U.S. towns · #90 of 177 in Tennessee. What drives it
Most of Humboldt was built recently: 7% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1971. Below: maps from 1887 on and the census since 1880.
Founding year: the first Humboldt post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Humboldt’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Humboldt is more historic than 46% of U.S. towns, #90 of 177 in Tennessee. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Humboldt’s 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 Humboldt’s 9.0 sits near the middle of its state (62% of Tennessee towns have fewer) while its 7 historic buildings outnumber those of 73% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.2 points). 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 Humboldt’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
The first settlers of what would become Humboldt, began moving into the area in the mid-1850s. The town was a Railroad town. Its history begins with the Crossing of the Mobile & Ohio and the Memphis & Ohio (later L&N) Railroads. This was completed in 1859. The town wasn't chartered until after the Civil War in 1866.
The city is named for German naturalist Alexander von Humboldt.
The Humboldt post office opened in 1858, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Humboldt rank for history?
Humboldt is more historic than 46% of U.S. towns, #90 of 177 in Tennessee. 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 Humboldt?
5 listings: 5 buildings, among them the Senter-Rooks House (listed 1980, the first). 7 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Humboldt?
7% of Humboldt’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.2 points), against a typical 4.9% for a Tennessee town; the median home was built in 1971.
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 (4), the National Register of Historic Places (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), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
