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C−History
History · Sanger

Sanger dates to 1886

More historic than 22% of U.S. towns · #312 of 642 in Texas. What drives it

Most of Sanger was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2001. Below: maps from 1960 on and the census since 1920.

1886founded
0on the National Register
4%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Photo: Renelibrary · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How Sanger began

When was Sanger founded?

1886

Sanger dates its founding to 1886 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1920.

First census: 1,204 in 19202020 census: 8,839140 years

How historic is Sanger?

C−

More historic than 22% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1872.
History grade

What drives Sanger’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Sanger is more historic than 22% of U.S. towns, #312 of 642 in Texas. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Sanger’s overall grade.
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 22%
NewerOlder
Texas towns of 2,500+ (642)Ahead of 51%

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 Sanger’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 any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to C. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.6 points). Two sources give 1886.

Founding year: Wikidata (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 Sanger’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 Sanger’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Sanger’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
The story so far

Sanger, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Sanger yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Sanger is a city in Denton County, Texas, United States and is part of the Greater Dallas metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 8,839.

Sanger was established in 1886. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 6,916 to 8,839 (+28%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

Timeline

Sanger, 1872 to 1960

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1872Post officeThe Bolivar post office opens
  3. 1886
    FoundingSanger is established
  4. 1887Post officeThe Sanger post office opens
  5. 20th century
  6. 1906Post officeThe Bolivar post office closes
  7. 1918Born hereJames F. Hollingsworth is born here
  8. 1960On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Sanger, decade by decade

On the map

Sanger on the map, 1960 to 1978

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Sanger. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Sanger on the 1960 USGS mapSanger on the 1978 USGS map1960Sanger sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Sanger.

People over time

Sanger, census by census

02,0004,0006,0008,0001920194019601980200020208,839

Grew from 1,204 people in 1920 to 8,839 in 2020, 7 times over.

11 censuses, 1920–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Sanger’s Wikipedia page.

Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds

Sanger’s post office has been open since 1887. Another post office, Bolivar, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Bolivar
1872–1906
Sanger
1887–today
18701950today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Bolivar
1cemetery inside Sanger
Sanger

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). 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 Sanger’s history

What year was Sanger founded?

In 1886, according to Wikidata. Sanger’s post office opened in 1872, and the census of 1920 counted 1,204 people here.

How does Sanger rank for history?

Sanger is more historic than 22% of U.S. towns, #312 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 Sanger?

4% of Sanger’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.6 points), against a typical 1.6% for a Texas town; the median home was built in 2001.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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 Wikimedia Commons (3), 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.