More historic than 21% of U.S. towns · #322 of 642 in Texas. What drives it
Most of Friona was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1972. Below: maps from 1966 on and the census since 1930.
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1907.
History grade
What drives Friona’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Friona is more historic than 21% of U.S. towns, #322 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 Friona’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 Friona’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 (±3.4 points). Two sources give 1898.
Founding year: Wikipedia (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 Friona’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 Friona yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Friona is a city in Parmer County, Texas, United States. The population was 4,171 at the 2020 census. Friona was established as a small community in 1898 by XIT Ranch, originally called Frio, which is also the word for "cold" in Spanish. The community served as a shipping point for the Pecos and Northern Texas Railroads. In 1906, the George G. Wright Land CO. chose the community for a colonization project, promising settlers of fertile soil, and a healthful climate. The community then became known as Friona after the opening of a post office in March 16, 1907 and started to construct various buildings, which were a hotel, livery stable and a bank. Soon after, the first church in Friona was …
Friona was established in 1898. Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 4,123 in 2010, 4,171 in 2020.
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Friona, 1898 to 1966
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 Friona. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1966Friona 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 Friona.
People over time
Friona, census by census
Grew from 731 people in 1930 to 4,171 in 2020, 5 times over.
10 censuses, 1930–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Friona’s Wikipedia page.
Questions about Friona’s history
What year was Friona founded?
In 1898, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Friona’s post office opened in 1907, and the census of 1930 counted 731 people here.
How does Friona rank for history?
Friona is more historic than 21% of U.S. towns, #322 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 Friona?
4% of Friona’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.4 points), 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 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.
