Comanche dates to 1856, and 14% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 70% of U.S. towns · #56 of 642 in Texas. What drives it
2 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 48 buildings. Below: 5 old photos and papers, maps from 1885 on, and the census since 1880.
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1860.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Comanche’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Comanche is more historic than 70% of U.S. towns, #56 of 642 in Texas. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Comanche’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 Comanche’s 114 sits above most of its state (96% of Texas towns have fewer) while its 49 historic buildings outnumber those of 85% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±5.2 points). Two sources give 1856.
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 Comanche’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Comanche. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1889Brownwood sheet · 1:125,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Comanche.
Every building
Comanche, building by building, 1885–1915
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.
On the National Register
2 listings protect 49 historic buildings
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
A military road known as the "Corn Trail" came through in 1850 to supply area forts and encourage settlement. The town was established in 1856 and the city was incorporated in 1858. Near the modern courthouse is the preserved log structure known as the "Old Cora Courthouse", one of the oldest standing wooden courthouses in Texas. Cora, the former county seat, later became Gustine.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
In 1856, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Comanche’s post office opened in 1860, and the census of 1880 counted 704 people here.
How does Comanche rank for history?
Comanche is more historic than 70% of U.S. towns, #56 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 Comanche?
Two places: the St. Louis and San Francisco Railway Depot (Frisco Depot) (listed 2017) and the Comanche Downtown Historic District (2023).
How old are the homes in Comanche?
14% of Comanche’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.2 points), against a typical 1.6% for a Texas town; the median home was built in 1966.
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 (1), the Library of Congress (4), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (2), 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.
1939
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