Roanoke’s post office opened in 1881, and 2 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 34% of U.S. towns · #213 of 642 in Texas. What drives it
Most of Roanoke was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2008. 2 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 7 buildings. Below: the census since 1890.
Founding year: the first Roanoke post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).
History grade
What drives Roanoke’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Roanoke is more historic than 34% of U.S. towns, #213 of 642 in Texas. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
C
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Roanoke’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 Roanoke’s 7.8 sits above most of its state (85% of Texas towns have fewer) while its 8 historic buildings outnumber those of 74% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to B. The pre-1940 share (±0.5 points) is firm at this size. 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 Roanoke’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Roanoke yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Roanoke is a city in Denton County, Texas, United States and part of the Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex. As of the 2020 census, Roanoke had a population of 9,665. Roanoke is currently growing at a rate of 3.77% annually and its population has increased by 76.74% since the 2010 census. A small part of the city extends into Tarrant County. The city was originally founded after competition with Elizabethtown, just off Highway 114. Settlers from Elizabethtown eventually moved to Roanoke permanently, and Elizabethtown is now a ghost town. The main east–west road through town, State Highway 114 Business, is named "Byron Nelson Boulevard" in honor of the professional golfer who resided in the communi…
Its first post office opened in 1881. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 5,962 to 9,665 (+62%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
The Roanoke post office opened in 1881, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Roanoke rank for history?
Roanoke is more historic than 34% of U.S. towns, #213 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 Roanoke?
Two places: the Old Continental State Bank (listed 1986) and the Central Roanoke Historic District (2008).
How old are the homes in Roanoke?
0.0% of Roanoke’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 1.6% for a Texas town; the median home was built in 2008.
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 (2), 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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