On its age, its old homes and the National Register, DeCordova is more historic than 6% of U.S. towns, #512 of 642 in Texas. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of DeCordova’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 DeCordova’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 (±0.8 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 DeCordova’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
DeCordova Bend Estates started being developed at the same time as the De Cordova Bend Dam in the late 1960s. The dam, built on the Brazos River to control the flow downstream, formed Lake Granbury. The new community was intended to serve as a weekend recreational getaway for residents of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. It is an all-age residential community 34 miles (55 km) southwest of Fort Worth. It has a recently renovated clubhouse, 27 holes of golf, marina, swimming pool, tennis, fitness center and other amenities. DeCordova was named after Jacob Raphael De Cordova, the land agent and colonizer. He was born in Spanish Town (near Kingston), Jamaica. De Cordova and Robert Creuzbaurqv compiled the Map of the State of Texas, first published in 1849.
DeCordova is more historic than 6% of U.S. towns, #512 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 DeCordova?
0.0% of DeCordova’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 1.6% for a Texas town; the median home was built in 1987.
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 Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps 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.
