More historic than 26% of U.S. towns · #287 of 642 in Texas. What drives it
Most of Gunter was built recently: 7% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2004. Below: maps from 1961 on and the census since 1920.
The Gunter post office opened in 1898, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Elmview (1886), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
First census: 575 in 19202020 census: 2,060128 years
How historic is Gunter?
C
More historic than 26% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Gunter post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Gunter’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Gunter is more historic than 26% of U.S. towns, #287 of 642 in Texas. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Gunter’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 Gunter’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 (±5.9 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (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 Gunter’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Gunter was founded in 1902 (other sources report 1901, with a post office as early as 1898) when the family of John (a/k/a Jot) Gunter deeded 328 acres (1.33 km2) for the original townsite, near the intersection of current State Highway 289 and Farm to Market Road 121. The first residence was established in 1903 by Albert Earthman, who would later charter the First National Bank in Gunter. A second bank, the First State Bank, would later open.
Gunter steadily grew until 1924, when the First State Bank (having outlasted the First National Bank) closed, leaving many businesses and farmers in financial ruin. The Great Depression and two devastating fires in 1930 and 1948 further damaged the local economy.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Gunter. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1961Gunter 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 Gunter.
People over time
Gunter, census by census
Grew from 575 people in 1920 to 2,060 in 2020, 3 times over.
11 censuses, 1920–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Gunter’s Wikipedia page.
Places that used to be
Lost post offices and old corners
Gunter’s post office has been open since 1898. Another post office, Elmview, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Elmview
1886–1907
Gunter
1898–today
18801950today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Elm View
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Gunter’s history
What year was Gunter founded?
The Gunter post office opened in 1898, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Gunter rank for history?
Gunter is more historic than 26% of U.S. towns, #287 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 Gunter?
7% of Gunter’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.9 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 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.
