Longview dates to 1870, and 9 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 47% of U.S. towns · #151 of 642 in Texas. What drives it
Most of Longview was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1978. 9 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 53 buildings between them. Below: 6 old photos and papers, maps from 1885 on, and the census since 1880.
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1848.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Longview’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Longview is more historic than 47% of U.S. towns, #151 of 642 in Texas. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Longview’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 Longview’s 7.4 sits above most of its state (84% of Texas towns have fewer) while its 61 historic buildings outnumber those of 86% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to B. The pre-1940 share (±0.6 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1870.
Founding year: Wikipedia (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 Longview’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Grace HillHunterJordan Valley Memorial ParkMagill MemorialMemory ParkPerry-ClayRay
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Every building
Longview, building by building, 1885–1923
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
The modern-day city of Longview was founded in 1869. In 1870, O.H. Methvin, Sr. sold 100 acres (40 ha) to the Southern Pacific Railroad (later the Texas and Pacific Railway) for one dollar to persuade them to build their line in the direction of land he owned. Later that year, he sold another 100 acres (40 ha) for $500 in gold. He hoped the coming of the railroad would increase the value of the rest of his land.
Two railroad surveyors coined the name of the town when they stated, "What a long view!" from the porch of Methvin's home. In June 1871, Longview was incorporated as the first town in Gregg County.
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.
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 1870, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Longview’s post office opened in 1848, and the census of 1880 counted 1,525 people here.
How does Longview rank for history?
Longview is more historic than 47% of U.S. towns, #151 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 Longview?
9 listings: 7 buildings, among them the Northcutt House (listed 1978, the first), and 2 historic districts, the Nuggett Hill Historic District and the Greggton Commercial Historic District, with 53 contributing buildings. 61 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Longview?
3% of Longview’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 1.6% for a Texas town; the median home was built in 1978.
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), the Library of Congress (1), the National Register of Historic Places (9), 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.
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