Killeen dates to 1872, and 3 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 40% of U.S. towns · #183 of 642 in Texas. What drives it
Most of Killeen was built recently: 0.5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1996. 3 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 73 buildings between them. Below: 6 old photos and papers, maps from 1926 on, and the census since 1890.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1882.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Killeen’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Killeen is more historic than 40% of U.S. towns, #183 of 642 in Texas. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Killeen’s overall grade.
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Killeen ranks #268 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 Killeen’s 4.7 sits above most of its state (81% of Texas towns have fewer) while its 74 historic buildings outnumber those of 87% of U.S. towns.
Newer cities are common at Killeen’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 B. The pre-1940 share (±0.2 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1872.
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 Killeen’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
In 1881, the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway extended its tracks through central Texas, buying 360 acres (1.5 km2) a few miles southwest of a small farming community known as Palo Alto, which had existed since about 1872. The railroad platted a 70-block town on its land and named it after Frank P. Killeen, the assistant general manager of the railroad. By the next year, the town included a railroad depot, a saloon, several stores, and a school. Many of the residents of the surrounding smaller communities in the area moved to Killeen. By 1884, the town had grown to include about 350 people, served by five general stores, two gristmills, two cotton gins, two saloons, a lumberyard, a blacksmith shop, and a hotel.
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 1872, according to Wikidata. Killeen’s post office opened in 1882, and the census of 1890 counted 285 people here.
How does Killeen rank for history?
Killeen is more historic than 40% of U.S. towns, #183 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 Killeen?
Three places: the Killeen Downtown Historic District (listed 2014), the Killeen High School (2015) and the High View (2020).
How old are the homes in Killeen?
0.5% of Killeen’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 1.6% for a Texas town; the median home was built in 1996.
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 (6), the National Register of Historic Places (3), 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), 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.
1969
1969
1969
