Half of Central Gardens’ homes were built after 1979
More historic than 16% of U.S. towns · #377 of 642 in Texas. What drives it
Most of Central Gardens was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1979. Below: maps from 1962 on and the census since 1990.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Central Gardens is more historic than 16% of U.S. towns, #377 of 642 in Texas. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Central Gardens’ overall grade.
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 Central Gardens’ 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 two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.7 points).
Founding year: our sources. 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 Central Gardens’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Central Gardens yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Central Gardens is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Jefferson County, Texas, United States. The population was 4,373 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Beaumont–Port Arthur metropolitan area.
Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 4,347 in 2010, 4,373 in 2020.
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
By decade
No old photos in the archives yet
Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Central Gardens. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1962Port Acres 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 Central Gardens.
People over time
Central Gardens, census by census
Between 4,026 and 4,373 people in every census since 1990.
4 censuses, 1990–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Central Gardens’ Wikipedia page.
Famous people
Famous people close to Central Gardens
Nobody well known was born in Central Gardens itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
Central Gardens is more historic than 16% of U.S. towns, #377 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 Central Gardens?
3% of Central Gardens’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.7 points), against a typical 1.6% for a Texas town; the median home was built in 1979.
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 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.
