Most of La Grulla was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1988. Below: maps from 1956 on and the census since 1970.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, La Grulla is more historic than 40% of U.S. towns. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of La Grulla’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 La Grulla’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 Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1836.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to B−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.0 points).
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 La Grulla’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of La Grulla yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
La Grulla is a city in Starr County, Texas, United States, founded by Juan Santiago Longoria (3rd great-grandfather of actress Eva Longoria) in 1836. The population was 1,222 at the 2020 census.
La Grulla was established in 1836. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 1,622 to 1,222 (-25%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
By decade
No old photos in the archives yet
Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of La Grulla. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1956Garcias 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 La Grulla.
People over time
La Grulla, census by census
Between 1,194 and 1,622 people in every census since 1970.
6 censuses, 1970–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on La Grulla’s Wikipedia page.
Places that used to be
Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds
La Grulla had its own post office from 1881 to 1881.
La Grulla
1881–1881
Grulla
1897–today
18801950today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Flores Brothers ColoniaSolis ColoniaVenecia Colonia
3cemeteries and burying grounds inside La Grulla
LongoriaSan VicenteSolizes
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about La Grulla’s history
What year was La Grulla founded?
In 1836, according to Wikidata. La Grulla’s post office opened in 1881, and the census of 1970 counted 1,194 people here.
How does La Grulla rank for history?
La Grulla is more historic than 40% of U.S. towns. 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 La Grulla?
4% of La Grulla’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.0 points), against a typical 1.6% for a Texas town; the median home was built in 1988.
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 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.
