Brownsville dates to 1848, and 30 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 71% of U.S. towns · #52 of 642 in Texas. What drives it
Most of Brownsville was built recently: 2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1995. 30 places in town are on the National Register, among them 3 National Historic Landmarks and three historic districts with 256 buildings between them. Below: 6 old photos and papers, maps from 1885 on, and the census since 1850.
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1849.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Brownsville’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Brownsville is more historic than 71% of U.S. towns, #52 of 642 in Texas. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Brownsville’s overall grade.
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Brownsville ranks #170 on History.
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 Brownsville’s 15.9 sits above most of its state (89% of Texas towns have fewer) while its 301 historic buildings outnumber those of 95% of U.S. towns.
Newer cities are common at Brownsville’s size: in the typical U.S. city of 100,000 or more, 5% of homes predate 1940.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to A. The pre-1940 share (±0.4 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1848.
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 Brownsville’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
In 1781, Spanish government officials granted José Salvador de la Garza 59 leagues of land (408 sq mi). He used the land to construct a ranch several miles northwest of the area. During the early 1800s, Brownsville was known to residents as los tejidos (English: "pasturelands"). Settler presence grew around 1836 when Texas colonial rule declared its independence from Mexico. On February 4, 1846, United States President James K. Polk instructed American General Zachary Taylor and his troops, including 2nd LT. Ulysses S. Grant, to begin moving south towards what was still remembered as los tejidos. Once Taylor arrived, he built Fort Texas. It was later renamed Fort Brown for Major Jacob Brown, one of two American soldiers who died during the siege of Fort Texas.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Brownsville. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1930East Brownsville 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 Brownsville.
Every building
Brownsville, building by building, 1885–1926
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.
1885Sheet 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.
Then & now
Stand where they stood
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.
Retake this viewNebel Mexican War 01 Battle of Palo Alto (cropped), 1851
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Brownsville’s page.
In 1848, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Brownsville’s post office opened in 1849, and the census of 1850 counted 519 people here.
How does Brownsville rank for history?
Brownsville is more historic than 71% of U.S. towns, #52 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.
What is on the National Register in Brownsville?
30 listings, 3 of them National Historic Landmarks: 24 buildings, 3 historic districts, the Fort Brown, the Brownsville Freight Depot and Warehouse District and the Central Brownsville Historic District, with 256 contributing buildings, and 3 sites. 301 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Brownsville?
2% of Brownsville’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 1.6% for a Texas town; the median home was built in 1995.
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), the National Register of Historic Places (30), 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.
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★ Landmark
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1851
1857
1863
1863
