Irving dates to 1903, and 2 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 20% of U.S. towns · #328 of 642 in Texas. What drives it
Most of Irving was built recently: 0.9% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1986. Its Register listings are the Joffre-Gilbert House and the Paine House. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1931 on, and the census since 1920.
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1881.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Irving’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Irving is more historic than 20% of U.S. towns, #328 of 642 in Texas. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Irving’s overall grade.
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Irving ranks #340 on History.
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 Irving’s 0.1 sits above most of its state (69% of Texas towns have fewer) while its 3 historic buildings outnumber those of 65% of U.S. towns.
Newer cities are common at Irving’s size: in the typical U.S. city of 100,000 or more, 5% of homes predate 1940.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to C. The pre-1940 share (±0.3 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1903.
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 Irving’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Irving was founded in 1903 by J.O. "Otto" Schulze and Otis Brown. It is believed literary author Washington Irving was a favorite of Netta Barcus Brown, and consequently the name of the town site, Irving, was chosen. Irving began in 1889 as an area called Gorbit, and in 1894 the name changed to Kit. Irving was incorporated April 14, 1914, with Otis Brown as the first mayor.
By the late 19th century, the Irving area was the site of churches, two cotton gins, a blacksmith shop and a general store. The Irving district public school system dates to the 1909 establishment of Kit and Lively schools. Population growth was slow and sometimes halting, with only 357 residents in 1925, but a significant increase began in the 1930s.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
In 1903, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Irving’s post office opened in 1881, and the census of 1920 counted 357 people here.
How does Irving rank for history?
Irving is more historic than 20% of U.S. towns, #328 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.
What is on the National Register in Irving?
Two places: the Joffre-Gilbert House (listed 2014) and the Paine House (2014).
How old are the homes in Irving?
0.9% of Irving’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 1.6% for a Texas town; the median home was built in 1986.
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), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (2), 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.
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