More historic than 20% of U.S. towns · #328 of 642 in Texas. What drives it
Most of Dilley was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1985. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1942 on, and the census since 1930.
The Dilley post office opened in 1885, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Darlington (1891), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
First census: 929 in 19302020 census: 3,274141 years
How historic is Dilley?
C−
More historic than 20% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Dilley post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).
History grade
What drives Dilley’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Dilley is more historic than 20% of U.S. towns, #328 of 642 in Texas. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Dilley’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 Dilley’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 any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to C. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.4 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
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 Dilley’s 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 Dilley yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Dilley is a town in Frio County, Texas, United States. The population was 3,274 at the 2020 census. It is located off Interstate 35, south of the county seat in Pearsall.
Its first post office opened in 1885. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 3,894 to 3,274 (-16%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Dilley, 1880 to 1942
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born 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.
The Dilley post office opened in 1885, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Dilley rank for history?
Dilley is more historic than 20% of U.S. towns, #328 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 Dilley?
3% of Dilley’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.4 points), against a typical 1.6% for a Texas town; the median home was built in 1985.
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), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) 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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