More historic than 10% of U.S. towns · #463 of 642 in Texas. What drives it
Most of Cinco Ranch was built recently: 0.8% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1997. Below: maps from 1955 on and the census since 2000.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Cinco Ranch is more historic than 10% of U.S. towns, #463 of 642 in Texas. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
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HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Cinco Ranch’s 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 Cinco Ranch’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 two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share (±0.9 points) is firm at this size.
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 Cinco Ranch’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Bassett "Papa" Blakely (sometimes misspelled Blakeley) (1873–1943) was born to Mary Foster Blakely and Thomas Blakely. Mary was Randolph Foster's daughter, and John Foster's grand-daughter; both of those men were part of the Old Three Hundred who were granted leagues of land when Texas was part of Mexico. Bassett Blakely inherited the land grant from his grandfather, and over time bought more land until he owned 15,000 acres (61 km2). This was Blakely Ranch, and today's Cinco Ranch is on a portion of that land, on these land grants:
Cinco Ranch is more historic than 10% of U.S. towns, #463 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 Cinco Ranch?
0.8% of Cinco Ranch’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 1.6% for a Texas town; the median home was built in 1997.
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), 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.
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