More historic than 16% of U.S. towns · #373 of 642 in Texas. What drives it
Most of Elmendorf was built recently: 0.8% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1994. Below: maps from 1953 on and the census since 1970.
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1886.
History grade
What drives Elmendorf’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Elmendorf is more historic than 16% of U.S. towns, #373 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 Elmendorf’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 Elmendorf’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 D to C. The pre-1940 share (±1.0 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1885.
Founding year: Wikidata (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 Elmendorf’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 Elmendorf yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Elmendorf is a city located in Bexar County and Wilson County, Texas, United States. It is part of the San Antonio—New Braunfels metropolitan statistical area. Its population was 1,862 at the 2020 census. It was founded in 1885, and named after Henry Elmendorf, a former mayor of San Antonio, and a German-Texan. For a long time, the biggest employer was Star Clay Products.
Elmendorf was established in 1885. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 1,488 to 1,862 (+25%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Elmendorf, 1885 to 1985
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Elmendorf. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1953Elmendorf 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 Elmendorf.
People over time
Elmendorf, census by census
Grew from 400 people in 1970 to 1,862 in 2020, 4 times over.
6 censuses, 1970–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Elmendorf’s Wikipedia page.
Questions about Elmendorf’s history
What year was Elmendorf founded?
In 1885, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Elmendorf’s post office opened in 1886, and the census of 1970 counted 400 people here.
How does Elmendorf rank for history?
Elmendorf is more historic than 16% of U.S. towns, #373 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 Elmendorf?
0.8% of Elmendorf’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.0 points), against a typical 1.6% for a Texas town; the median home was built in 1994.
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), 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.
2004
