More historic than 10% of U.S. towns · #467 of 642 in Texas. What drives it
Most of Dumas was built recently: 0.7% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1972. Below: 6 old photos and papers, maps from 1965 on, and the census since 1940.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Dumas is more historic than 10% of U.S. towns, #467 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 Dumas’ 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 Dumas’ 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 (±0.7 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 →
The story so far
Dumas, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Dumas yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Dumas ( DEW-məs) is a city in and the county seat of Moore County, Texas, United States. The population was 14,501 at the 2020 census. Located approximately 40 miles north of Amarillo, the city is named for its founder, Louis Dumas (1856–1923). Dumas Avenue, the main thoroughfare, is also United States Highways 87 and 287. Window on the Plains Museum, which offers exhibits on Moore County and the Texas Panhandle, is located on South Dumas Avenue, the main thoroughfare. Dumas is home to Moore County Airport, a general-aviation airport two miles west of the central business district. The Dumas government claims, with some documentation, that the song "I'm a Ding Dong Daddy From Dumas" was wri…
Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 14,691 in 2010, 14,501 in 2020.
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Dumas, 1880 to 1980
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.
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.
Dumas is more historic than 10% of U.S. towns, #467 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 Dumas?
0.7% of Dumas’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 1.6% for a Texas town; the median home was built in 1972.
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 (5), Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.
1936
1939
1939
1939
