More historic than 13% of U.S. towns · #425 of 642 in Texas. What drives it
Most of Melissa was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2015. Below: maps from 1961 on and the census since 1880.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1873.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Melissa’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Melissa is more historic than 13% of U.S. towns, #425 of 642 in Texas. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Melissa’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 Melissa’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.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to C. The pre-1940 share (±0.4 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1853.
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 Melissa’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Among Melissa's earliest inhabitants were Paleo-Indians; archaeological finds in the area have been dated to approximately 9500 BC. In the centuries since, several Native American tribes called the area home, including the Caddo, Cherokee, Delaware, and the Kickapoo. The Tonkawa people had a settlement in the area, northeast of McKinney. These people were focused primarily on agriculture and a hunting-and-gathering lifestyle, living peacefully from the land's bounty.
In 1853, according to Wikidata. Melissa’s post office opened in 1873, and the census of 1880 counted 57 people here.
How does Melissa rank for history?
Melissa is more historic than 13% of U.S. towns, #425 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.
How old are the homes in Melissa?
0.0% of Melissa’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 1.6% for a Texas town; the median home was built in 2015.
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 (1), 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.
2004