McAllen dates to 1904, and 5 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 23% of U.S. towns · #301 of 642 in Texas. What drives it
Most of McAllen was built recently: 2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1995. Below: 5 old photos and papers and maps from 1914 on.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1907.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives McAllen’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, McAllen is more historic than 23% of U.S. towns, #301 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 McAllen’s overall grade.
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, McAllen ranks #334 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 McAllen’s 0.3 sits above most of its state (70% of Texas towns have fewer) while its 5 listings outnumber those of 70% of U.S. towns.
Newer cities are common at McAllen’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 (±0.5 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1904.
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 McAllen’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Amigo Park Colonia Number 1Amigo Park Number 3 ColoniaBentsen ColoniaBryan's Addition ColoniaCasa Bonita ColoniaEvie ColoniaFrancis Addition ColoniaGray East and West ColoniaKaneL and R Garza ColoniaMata ColoniaMeritoNorth Depot Road ColoniaRacquet Club ColoniaRosa Linda ColoniaShary Country Acres ColoniaSun Valley ColoniaThomas Ortega ColoniaTimberhill Villa ColoniaTimberhill Villa Number 4 ColoniaTrevino ColoniaWhalen Acres ColoniaWilliams Colonia
Gone or out of use
McAllen Gas FieldoilfieldWhitted Gas Fieldoilfield
4cemeteries and burying grounds inside McAllen
La PiedadRoselawnTemple EmanuelValley Memorial Gardens
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
On the map
McAllen on the map, 1914 to 1983
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of McAllen. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1914San Juan 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 McAllen.
Famous people
23 famous people were born in McAllen
Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.
In 1904, the Hidalgo and San Miguel Extension (now the Sam Fordyce Branch) of the St. Louis, Brownsville and Mexico Railway reached the Santa Anita Ranch. John McAllen and his son James had donated land to the railroad to guarantee it would cross this area. On December 5, 1904, the McAllen Townsite Company was formed by Uriah Lott, Leonidas C. Hill Sr., John McAllen (1826-1913), James Ballí McAllen (1862-1916), and John J. Young. The new community, which was named for John McAllen, had the depot nearest the county seat, Hidalgo, 8 mi (13 km) to the south.
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.
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.
In 1904, according to Wikidata. McAllen’s post office opened in 1907.
How does McAllen rank for history?
McAllen is more historic than 23% of U.S. towns, #301 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 McAllen?
5 listings: 5 buildings, among them the Sam and Marjorie Miller House (listed 1997, the first).
How old are the homes in McAllen?
2% of McAllen’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 1.6% for a Texas town; the median home was built in 1995.
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 (5), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.
1940s
2002
