Among the newest of U.S. towns · #618 of 642 in Texas. What drives it
Most of Gun Barrel City was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1989. Below: maps from 1920 on and the census since 1970.
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1912.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Gun Barrel City’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Gun Barrel City 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 Gun Barrel City’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 Gun Barrel City’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.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikipedia alone; no second source gives 1969.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D− to D. The pre-1940 share (±0.6 points) is firm at this size.
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 Gun Barrel City’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Gun Barrel City. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1920Kemp 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 Gun Barrel City.
The town began as an unincorporated community known as the "Old Bethel Community" in the 1960s after completion of Cedar Creek Reservoir. It was incorporated in the late 1960s so it could legally sell beer and wine. The town takes its name from a former road, Gun Barrel Lane (which is now State Highway 198), and has as its motto, "We Shoot Straight with You", and its symbol—a rifle with two crossed antique pistols after having to remove Yosemite Sam as its unofficial mascot on its signs along the road at the town limits. Gun Barrel Lane is rumored to have gotten its name during the 1920s and 1930s when Jesse Daniels frequented the area. It was considered a safe backwoods place during Prohibition when the likes of Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker hung out in the area. The road got its name for simply being "straight as a gun barrel" for 2 mi between US Hwy 175 and Texas Hwy 334 to the sou…
In 1969, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Gun Barrel City’s post office opened in 1912, and the census of 1970 counted 327 people here.
How does Gun Barrel City rank for history?
Gun Barrel City 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 Gun Barrel City?
0.0% of Gun Barrel City’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 1.6% for a Texas town; the median home was built in 1989.
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 (2), Wikipedia, 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.
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