The story so far
Rio Bravo, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Rio Bravo yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 4,794 to 4,450 (-7%).
DHistory
History · Rio Bravo
Half of Rio Bravo’s homes were built after 1990
More historic than 6% of U.S. towns · #512 of 642 in Texas. What drives it
Most of Rio Bravo was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1990. Below: maps from 1933 on and the census since 2000.
0on the National Register
0.0%homes built before 1940
Quick answers
About Rio Bravo’s history
How historic is Rio Bravo?
D
What drives the grade ↓More historic than 6% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
History grade
What drives Rio Bravo’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Rio Bravo is more historic than 6% of U.S. towns, #512 of 642 in Texas. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Rio Bravo’s overall grade.
Founding eraNo founding year we can rely on, so the grade uses the other two–Homes built before 19400.0% of homes (±1.2) · typical TX town 1.6% · U.S. 8.4%D−National RegisterNo listings counted · typical TX town 0.0 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 6%
NewerOlder
Texas towns of 2,500+ (642)Ahead of 20%
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 Rio Bravo’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 two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share (±1.2 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: our sources. 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 Rio Bravo’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
★ What stands out · Help out
Start Rio Bravo’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Rio Bravo’s history is told.
Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.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.
Add from your albumOn the map
Rio Bravo on the map, 1933 to 1985
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Rio Bravo. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1933Becerra Creek sheet · 1:62,500U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Rio Bravo.
People over time
Rio Bravo, census by census
Between 4,450 and 5,553 people in every census since 2000.
3 censuses, 2000–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Rio Bravo’s Wikipedia page.
Famous people
See all →Famous people close to Rio Bravo
Nobody well known was born in Rio Bravo itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
T
Tom DeLayAmerican Republican politician · b. 1947
Places that used to be
Old corners
Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.
Hamlets and corners on the map
Rio Bravo Annex ColoniaRio Bravo Colonia
Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Stories next door
History across the town line
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
Questions about Rio Bravo’s history
How does Rio Bravo rank for history?
Rio Bravo is more historic than 6% of U.S. towns, #512 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 Rio Bravo?
0.0% of Rio Bravo’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.2 points), against a typical 1.6% for a Texas town; the median home was built in 1990.
Memory lane
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
Start a conversation
Sources
Where this page comes from
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) 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.