More historic than 14% of U.S. towns · #414 of 642 in Texas. What drives it
Most of Pearland was built recently: 0.1% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2003. Below: maps from 1920 on and the census since 1960.
The Pearland post office opened in 1893, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1894. Another post office, Markbelt (1893), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
First census: 1,497 in 19602020 census: 125,828133 years
How historic is Pearland?
D
More historic than 14% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Pearland post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1894.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Pearland’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Pearland is more historic than 14% of U.S. towns, #414 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 Pearland’s overall grade.
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Pearland ranks #371 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 Pearland’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.
Newer cities are common at Pearland’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 (±0.1 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1894 falls in the same era, so the grade doesn’t depend on which one is used.
Founding year: the first post office (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 Pearland’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds
Pearland’s post office has been open since 1893. Another post office, Markbelt, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Markbelt
1893–1893
Pearland
1893–today
18901960today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Alexander LandingBanbury CrossBriarwood StatesCobblestoneCountry PlaceDixie HollowGarden AcresGreen Tree TerraceHastingsHeritage GreenHickory Creek PlaceLakepointeLakes of Country PlaceLinwoodMagnolia PlaceNasawoodOakbrook EstatesParkviewPineshadowsRavenwood EstatesRegal OaksRegency ParkRustic OaksRyan Acres
Gone or out of use
A&A Flying Service Airportairport
1cemetery inside Pearland
Old Pearland
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Help out
Start Pearland’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Pearland’s history is told.
Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Pearland had its beginnings near a siding switch on the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway in 1882. When a post office was established in 1893, the community was named "Mark Belt". On September 24, 1894, the plat of "Pear-Land" was filed with the Brazoria County courthouse by Witold von Zychlinski, a man of Polish nobility. At the time, Pearland had many fruits harvested by residents. Zychlinski saw the pear trees and decided that "Pearland" would make a good name for the community.
The Pearland post office opened in 1893, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1894.
How does Pearland rank for history?
Pearland is more historic than 14% of U.S. towns, #414 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 Pearland?
0.1% of Pearland’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 1.6% for a Texas town; the median home was built in 2003.
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 (12), 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.
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