Jefferson City’s post office opened in 1901, and 4 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 30% of U.S. towns · #133 of 177 in Tennessee. What drives it
Most of Jefferson City was built recently: 9% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1982. Below: maps from 1935 on and the census since 1910.
The Jefferson City post office opened in 1901, the earliest record of the town by name. Two smaller post offices, Mossy Creek (1816) and Flatgap (1856), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
First census: 1,328 in 19102020 census: 8,419125 years
How historic is Jefferson City?
C
More historic than 30% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Jefferson City post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Jefferson City’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Jefferson City is more historic than 30% of U.S. towns, #133 of 177 in Tennessee. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
C
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Jefferson City’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 Jefferson City’s 4.7 sits near the middle of its state (46% of Tennessee towns have fewer) while its 4 listings outnumber those of 68% 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 (±5.5 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 Jefferson City’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Heading southwest along the Holston River from Virginia, Adam and Elizabeth Peck arrived on the banks of Mossy Creek in 1788, soon settling the area with a fort, a house of worship, and a gristmill.
The original name of the city, Mossy Creek, is thought to have originated due to the first settlers' description of the "vivid" green moss developed around a creek near the settlement. By 1797, Mossy Creek had around 75 to 100 families with a 4-mile-radius of the city.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Jefferson City. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1935Jefferson City 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 Jefferson City.
People over time
Jefferson City, census by census
Grew from 1,328 people in 1910 to 8,419 in 2020, 6 times over.
12 censuses, 1910–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Jefferson City’s Wikipedia page.
Famous people
9 famous people were born in Jefferson City
Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.
The Jefferson City post office opened in 1901, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Jefferson City rank for history?
Jefferson City is more historic than 30% of U.S. towns, #133 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 Jefferson City?
4 listings: 4 buildings, among them the Glenmore (listed 1973, the first).
How old are the homes in Jefferson City?
9% of Jefferson City’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.5 points), against a typical 4.9% for a Tennessee town; the median home was built in 1982.
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), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (4), 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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