Denton’s post office opened in 1857, and 5 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 51% of U.S. towns · #132 of 642 in Texas. What drives it
Most of Denton was built recently: 2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1997. 5 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 405 buildings between them. Below: 4 old photos and papers, maps from 1885 on, and the census since 1870.
The Denton post office opened in 1857, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1866. Three smaller post offices, Carter (1860), Shiloah (1885) and Shiloh (1889), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
First census: 361 in 18702020 census: 139,869169 years
How historic is Denton?
B−
More historic than 51% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Denton post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1866.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Denton’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Denton is more historic than 51% of U.S. towns, #132 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 Denton’s overall grade.
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Denton ranks #236 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 Denton’s 26.6 sits above most of its state (91% of Texas towns have fewer) while its 407 historic buildings outnumber those of 96% of U.S. towns.
Newer cities are common at Denton’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 B+. The pre-1940 share (±0.8 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1866 falls in the same era, so the grade doesn’t depend on which one is used.
Founding year: the first post office (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 Denton’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Denton's formation is closely tied to that of Denton County. White settlement of the area began in the mid-1800s when William S. Peters of Kentucky obtained a land grant from the Texas Congress and named it Peters Colony. After initial settlement in the southeast part of the county in 1843, the Texas Legislature voted to form Denton County in 1846. Both the county and the town were named for John B. Denton, a preacher and lawyer who was killed in 1841 during a skirmish with the Kichai people in what is now Tarrant County. Pickneyville and Alton were selected as the county seat before Denton was named the seat in 1857. That year, a commission laid out the city and named the first streets.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Denton. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1960Denton West 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 Denton.
Every building
Denton, building by building, 1885–1921
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.
The Denton post office opened in 1857, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1866.
How does Denton rank for history?
Denton is more historic than 51% of U.S. towns, #132 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 Denton?
5 listings: 2 buildings, among them the Denton County Courthouse (listed 1977, the first), 2 historic districts, the Denton County Courthouse Square Historic District and the West Denton Residential Historic District, with 405 contributing buildings, and 1 object. 407 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Denton?
2% of Denton’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 (5), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (5), 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.
c. 2000
