Fort Bliss dates to 1849, and 3 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 80% of U.S. towns · #30 of 642 in Texas. What drives it
Most of Fort Bliss was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2004. 3 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 348 buildings between them. Below: maps from 1948 on and the census since 1970.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1907.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Fort Bliss’ History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Fort Bliss is more historic than 80% of U.S. towns, #30 of 642 in Texas. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Fort Bliss’ 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 Fort Bliss’ 305 sits above most of its state (99% of Texas towns have fewer) while its 349 historic buildings outnumber those of 96% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1849.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B− to A+. The pre-1940 share (±2.6 points) is firm at this size.
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 Fort Bliss’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
In 1846, Colonel Alexander Doniphan led 1st Regiment of Missouri mounted volunteers through El Paso del Norte, with victories at the Battle of El Brazito and the Battle of the Sacramento. On 7 November 1848, War Department General Order no. 58 ordered the establishment of a post across from El Paso del Norte, now Ciudad Juárez. On 8 September 1849, the garrison party of several companies of the 3rd U.S. Infantry, 'The Old Guard', currently the oldest active duty regiment in the US Army, commanded by Major Jefferson Van Horne, found only four small and scattered settlements on the north side of the Rio Grande.
In 1849, according to Wikidata. Fort Bliss’ post office opened in 1907, and the census of 1970 counted 13,288 people here.
How does Fort Bliss rank for history?
Fort Bliss is more historic than 80% of U.S. towns, #30 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 Fort Bliss?
Three places: the Quarters Number 1 (listed 1987), the Fort Bliss Main Post Historic District (1998) and the Fort Bliss National Cemetery (2016).
How old are the homes in Fort Bliss?
5% of Fort Bliss’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.6 points), against a typical 1.6% for a Texas town; the median home was built in 2004.
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 Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (3), 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.
