Among the newest of U.S. towns · #618 of 642 in Texas. What drives it
Most of Granite Shoals was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1988. Below: maps from 1929 on and the census since 1970.
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Granite Shoals’ History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Granite Shoals is among the newest of U.S. towns, #618 of 642 in Texas. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
D−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Granite Shoals’ 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 Granite Shoals’ 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 D. The pre-1940 share (±0.8 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1966.
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 Granite Shoals’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Granite Shoals was incorporated as a city by a vote of area residents in 1966. The original city comprised various sections of the Sherwood Shores subdivision, which was at the time the largest platted subdivision in the state of Texas. The Sherwood Shores subdivisions were created from the Phillips, Naumann and Ebeling ranches in 1962. In November 2005, residents voted to adopt a home rule charter to govern the city. In 2006, the city hired its first city manager, John W. Gayle.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Granite Shoals. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1929Marble Falls sheet · 1:62,500
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Granite Shoals.
People over time
Granite Shoals, census by census
Grew from 342 people in 1970 to 5,129 in 2020, more than tenfold.
6 censuses, 1970–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Granite Shoals’ Wikipedia page.
Famous people
Famous people close to Granite Shoals
Nobody well known was born in Granite Shoals itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
In 1966, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. the census of 1970 counted 342 people here.
How does Granite Shoals rank for history?
Granite Shoals is among the newest of U.S. towns, #618 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 Granite Shoals?
0.0% of Granite Shoals’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 1.6% for a Texas town; the median home was built in 1988.
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 (3), Wikipedia, 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.
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