More historic than 23% of U.S. towns · #303 of 642 in Texas. What drives it
Most of Iowa Park was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1977. Below: maps from 1916 on and the census since 1890.
Founding year: the first Iowa Park post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Iowa Park’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Iowa Park is more historic than 23% of U.S. towns, #303 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 Iowa Park’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 Iowa Park’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 (±4.1 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 Iowa Park’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Iowa Park was founded in 1888 alongside the tracks of the Fort Worth and Denver City Railway by D. C. and A. J. Kolp. Originally called Daggett Switch, it soon became a shipping point for cotton and wheat. Hard times came in the early 1890s when a drought hit, but by 1900, the town had a significant population.
The population fell during the early part of the century, but an oil discovery in 1918 reversed the dip. By 1926, the population was staying higher. A concrete highway connecting Iowa Park with Wichita Falls was built in 1927. In the mid-1930s, Iowa Park maintained its population, while most other towns declined.
The Iowa Park post office opened in 1888, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Iowa Park rank for history?
Iowa Park is more historic than 23% of U.S. towns, #303 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 Iowa Park?
5% of Iowa Park’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.1 points), against a typical 1.6% for a Texas town; the median home was built in 1977.
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 (5), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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