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History · Earth

Earth dates to 1924

Most of Earth was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1964. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1963 on, and the census since 1950.

1924founded
0on the National Register
0.0%homes built before 1940
2old photos & papers
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Earth’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Earth began

When was Earth founded?

1924

Earth dates its founding to 1924 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history agree). The census first counted it in 1950.

First census: 539 in 19502020 census: 901102 years
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1925.The full story ↓

What stands out about Earth’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 2 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 1,512 in 1980; 901 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Earth’s homes were built before 1964.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Earth’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Earth’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewBlowout: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Earth, census by census

02004006008001,0001,2001,4001,6001960198020002020Peak: 1,512

Peaked at 1,512 in 1980; 901 people lived here in 2020.

8 censuses, 1950–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Earth’s Wikipedia page.

The story

How Earth came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Earth.

Read it all →

Earth was established by William E. Halsell, who laid out the townsite in 1924. Originally, Halsell named the city Fairlawn, but in 1925, it was renamed Earth when the city learned that a town in Texas already had the name Fairlawn. To find a new name, the townspeople sent in suggestions, and the agreed-upon best name was chosen. The name Earth was submitted by Ora Hume (O.H.) Reeves, who became the owner of the city hotel. Mr. Reeves' son-in-law, Frank Wesley Hyatt, was the first postmaster in Earth.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Earth, 1924 to 1996

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 20th century
  2. 1924
    FoundingEarth is established
  3. 1925Post officeThe Earth post office opens
  4. 1940Born herePete Jaquess is born here
  5. 1963On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  6. 1980CensusPopulation peaks at 1,512
  7. 1996In the archiveBlowout
By decade

Earth, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1990s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1990s2 items
Blowout1996BlowoutEarth Sign1996Earth Sign
Today4 recent
Earth's hardware store2010Earth's hardware storeREALLY-young-earth creationism in Texas2009REALLY-young-earth creationism in TexasEarth's Secret Weapon Against Dusty Martian Monsters2009Earth's Secret Weapon Against Dusty Martian MonstersEarth Texas Plant X 20082008Earth Texas Plant X 2008
On the map

Earth on the map, 1963 to 1980

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Earth. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Earth on the 1963 USGS mapEarth on the 1980 USGS map1963Earth 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 Earth.

Questions about Earth’s history

What year was Earth founded?

In 1924, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Earth’s post office opened in 1925, and the census of 1950 counted 539 people here.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

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). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (6), 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) 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.