Most of Lakesite was built recently: 0.4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1988. Below: maps from 1935 on and the census since 1980.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Lakesite is among the newest of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
D−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Lakesite’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 Lakesite’s 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.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikipedia alone; no second source gives 1972.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would still be D−. The pre-1940 share (±0.7 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: Wikipedia (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 Lakesite’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Lakesite was incorporated in 1972 from the efforts of Ray Dodson and Hans Bingham. Upon incorporating, the suburb consisted of 200 homes and a population of 500. In 1994 the neighborhood had grown to about 900 and residents petitioned the Lakesite City Commission for annexation. Upon the annexation, which was completed in mid-1995, the population grew to 1,499 and the land increased 66%.
In 1972, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. the census of 1980 counted 651 people here.
How does Lakesite rank for history?
Lakesite is among the newest 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 Lakesite?
0.4% of Lakesite’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 4.9% for a Tennessee town; the median home was built in 1988.
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 Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) 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.
