More historic than 10% of U.S. towns · #474 of 642 in Texas. What drives it
Most of Penitas was built recently: 2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2004. Below: maps from 1916 on and the census since 1990.
Founding year: the first Penitas post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).
History grade
What drives Penitas’ History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Penitas is more historic than 10% of U.S. towns, #474 of 642 in Texas. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Penitas’ 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 Penitas’ 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 is a Census survey estimate (±3.3 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
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 Penitas’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Colonia CamargoColonia MartinezDaniel Ozuna ColoniaEl Rio ColoniaKing Ranch Colonia Number 1King Ranch Colonia Number 2Nuevo Penitas ColoniaPuerta Blanca ColoniaRamona ColoniaReina Colonia
1cemetery inside Penitas
San Antonio
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
On the map
Penitas on the map, 1916 to 2002
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Penitas. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1916Mission 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 Penitas.
The story so far
Penitas, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Penitas yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Peñitas is a city in Hidalgo County, Texas, United States. The population was 6,460 at the 2020 census, and was estimated to be 6,568 in 2024. It is part of the McAllen–Edinburg–Mission and Reynosa–McAllen metropolitan areas.
Its first post office opened in 1909. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 4,403 to 6,460 (+47%).
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.
The Penitas post office opened in 1909, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Penitas rank for history?
Penitas is more historic than 10% of U.S. towns, #474 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 Penitas?
2% of Penitas’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.3 points), against a typical 1.6% for a Texas town; the median home was built in 2004.
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.
