More historic than 6% of U.S. towns · #512 of 642 in Texas. What drives it
Most of San Carlos was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1992. Below: maps from 1963 on and the census since 2000.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, San Carlos 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.
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HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of San Carlos’ 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 San Carlos’ 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 (±1.4 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 San Carlos’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.
Hamlets and corners on the map
Colonia TejanaD T Villareal ColoniaEbony Acres ColoniaLas Brisas Estates ColoniaRankin ColoniaRuthven Colonia Number 2Ruthven Number 1 ColoniaSan Carlos Acres ColoniaSan Carlos Farms ColoniaSouthern Breeze Colonia
Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
The story so far
San Carlos, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of San Carlos yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
San Carlos is a community and census-designated place (CDP) in Hidalgo County, Texas. The population was 3,087 at the 2020 United States Census. It is part of the McAllen–Edinburg–Mission Metropolitan Statistical Area. San Carlos is located northeast of McAllen.
Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 3,130 in 2010, 3,087 in 2020.
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.
San Carlos 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 San Carlos?
0.0% of San Carlos’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.4 points), against a typical 1.6% for a Texas town; the median home was built in 1992.
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.
