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CHistory
History · Atlanta

Atlanta’s post office opened in 1871

More historic than 29% of U.S. towns · #252 of 642 in Texas. What drives it

Most of Atlanta was built recently: 9% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1975. Below: maps from 1885 on and the census since 1880.

1871first post office
0on the National Register
9%homes built before 1940
20famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Michael Barera · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How Atlanta began

When was Atlanta founded?

1871

The Atlanta post office opened in 1871, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 396 in 18802020 census: 5,433155 years

How historic is Atlanta?

C

More historic than 29% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Atlanta post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Atlanta’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Atlanta is more historic than 29% of U.S. towns, #252 of 642 in Texas. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.

C
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Atlanta’s overall grade.
Founding era1871, from the first post office: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 19408.9% of homes (±5.6) · typical TX town 1.6% · U.S. 8.4%C+National RegisterNo listings counted · typical TX town 0.0 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 29%
NewerOlder
Texas towns of 2,500+ (642)Ahead of 61%

Few Texas towns list much on the Register (a typical Texas town has 0.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Atlanta’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (34% of Texas 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 still be C. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±5.6 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 Atlanta’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Atlanta are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Mapped building by building6 fire insurance maps, 1885 to 1911, drew every building in Atlanta.On the map since 19073 editions of the USGS map, 1907 to 1969. Watch Atlanta change.Famous sons and daughtersBessie Coleman, John Rambo and 18 more were born here.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Atlanta’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Atlanta’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Every building

Atlanta, building by building, 1885–1911

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.

Atlanta fire insurance map, 1885, sheet 11885Sheet 1 of 1
Edition
Sheets
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

On the map

Atlanta on the map, 1907 to 1969

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Atlanta. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Atlanta on the 1907 USGS mapAtlanta on the 1910 USGS mapAtlanta on the 1969 USGS map1907Atlanta sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Atlanta.

The story

How Atlanta came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Atlanta.

Read it all →

Atlanta was established in 1872 with the building of the Texas and Pacific Railway and was named for Atlanta, Georgia, former home of many early settlers; a post office was opened that same year.

By 1885, the community had 1,500 residents, who had founded three White and two Black churches, two schools, a bank, several sawmills, a number of general stores, and a weekly newspaper, the Citizens' Journal. Lumbering was the chief industry. The lumber boom reached its peak around 1890, when the population was 1,764. When the community was incorporated in 1929, it had 1,900 residents and 105 businesses.

In 1938, following a deadly tornado just 10 miles away in Rodessa, Louisiana, hospitals in Atlanta would treat many of those affected.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Atlanta, 1871 to 1989

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1871Post officeThe Atlanta post office opens
  3. 1892Born hereBessie Coleman is born here
  4. 20th century
  5. 1907On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  6. 1943Born hereJohn Rambo is born here
  7. 1968Born hereTracy Lawrence is born here
  8. 1989Born hereAndrea Lee is born here
By decade

Atlanta, decade by decade

Today22 recent
Atlanta July 2018 24 (Plaza on Main)2018Atlanta July 2018 24 (Plaza on Main)Atlanta July 2018 23 (E Main Street)2018Atlanta July 2018 23 (E Main Street)Atlanta July 2018 22 (Plaza on Main)2018Atlanta July 2018 22 (Plaza on Main)Atlanta July 2018 21 (pocket park)2018Atlanta July 2018 21 (pocket park)Atlanta July 2018 20 (First Baptist Church)2018Atlanta July 2018 20 (First Baptist Church)Atlanta July 2018 19 (God's Anointed Ministries)2018Atlanta July 2018 19 (God's Anointed Ministries)Atlanta July 2018 18 (E Hiram Street)2018Atlanta July 2018 18 (E Hiram Street)Atlanta July 2018 17 (State Theater)2018Atlanta July 2018 17 (State Theater)Atlanta July 2018 16 (E Hiram Street)2018Atlanta July 2018 16 (E Hiram Street)Atlanta July 2018 15 (Luigi's Italian Restaurant)2018Atlanta July 2018 15 (Luigi's Italian Restaurant)Atlanta July 2018 14 (N East Street)2018Atlanta July 2018 14 (N East Street)Atlanta July 2018 13 (Roux-Ga-Roux Seafood)2018Atlanta July 2018 13 (Roux-Ga-Roux Seafood)Atlanta July 2018 10 (Faith Community Nazarene Church)2018Atlanta July 2018 10 (Faith Community Nazarene Church)Atlanta July 2018 09 (Cornerstone Assembly of God)2018Atlanta July 2018 09 (Cornerstone Assembly of God)Atlanta July 2018 08 (Atlanta ISD Administration Office)2018Atlanta July 2018 08 (Atlanta ISD Administration Offi…Atlanta July 2018 07 (Hanner Funeral Service)2018Atlanta July 2018 07 (Hanner Funeral Service)Atlanta July 2018 06 (Atlanta Historical Museum)2018Atlanta July 2018 06 (Atlanta Historical Museum)Atlanta July 2018 05 (Atlanta Historical Museum)2018Atlanta July 2018 05 (Atlanta Historical Museum)Atlanta July 2018 04 (E Main Street)2018Atlanta July 2018 04 (E Main Street)Atlanta July 2018 03 (E Main Street)2018Atlanta July 2018 03 (E Main Street)Atlanta July 2018 02 (Plaza on Main)2018Atlanta July 2018 02 (Plaza on Main)Atlanta July 2018 01 (Uncle Juan's Mexican Restaurant)2018Atlanta July 2018 01 (Uncle Juan's Mexican Restaurant)
People over time

Atlanta, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,5004,0004,5005,0005,5006,0006,5007,00018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 6,272

Between 396 and 6,272 people in every census since 1880.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Atlanta’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

20 famous people were born in Atlanta

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Bessie ColemanAmerican aviator · b. 1892
John RamboAmerican athletics competitor · b. 1943
T
Tracy LawrenceAmerican musician · b. 1968
A
Andrea LeeAmerican mixed martial artist · b. 1989
S
Slim RicheyAmerican guitarist · b. 1938
Ted ThompsonAmerican football player and executive · b. 1953
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Queen City1 historic placeB

Questions about Atlanta’s history

What year was Atlanta founded?

The Atlanta post office opened in 1871, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

How does Atlanta rank for history?

Atlanta is more historic than 29% of U.S. towns, #252 of 642 in Texas. 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 Atlanta?

9% of Atlanta’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.6 points), against a typical 1.6% for a Texas town; the median home was built in 1975.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

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 (22), 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.