The Orlinda post office opened in 1882, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 2001. Another post office, Handleyton (1884), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
First census: 347 in 19702020 census: 947144 years
How historic is Orlinda?
B+
More historic than 74% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Orlinda post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 2001.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Orlinda’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Orlinda is more historic than 74% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Orlinda’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 Orlinda’s 41.2 sits above most of its state (82% of Tennessee towns have fewer) while its 5 historic buildings outnumber those of 70% 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 (±6.8 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata gives 2001.
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 Orlinda’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Orlinda was incorporated in 1965, and was originally called Crockers Crossroads until they had to change the name due to the area's proximity to Tuckers Crossroads, Tennessee. The name Centervile was proposed, but denied as a Centerville, Tennessee already existed, so Orlinda was proposed as no other community in the United States used that name.
In October 2000, the Orlinda City Hall and Post Office opened at its present-day location on Highway 52. Prior to this, the City Hall was located at the former Bank of Orlinda building, which was built in 1909, and is now the city's public library, which opened in 2003.
The Orlinda post office opened in 1882, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 2001.
How does Orlinda rank for history?
Orlinda is more historic than 74% 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 Orlinda?
One place: the Rock Jolly (listed 1973).
How old are the homes in Orlinda?
26% of Orlinda’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.8 points), against a typical 4.9% for a Tennessee town; the median home was built in 1989.
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 the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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.
