Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
More historic than 10% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Most of Sebastian was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1991. Below: 6 old photos and papers from 1939 on.
The Sebastian post office opened in 1908, the earliest record of the town by name.
More historic than 10% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Sebastian is more historic than 10% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
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 Sebastian’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.
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 →
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Sebastian yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Sebastian is a census-designated place (CDP) in Willacy County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,684 at the 2020 census.
Its first post office opened in 1908. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 1,917 to 1,684 (-12%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
One decade in the archive so far: the 1930s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Sebastian’s page.
Retake this view · +15Nobody well known was born in Sebastian itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
The Sebastian post office opened in 1908, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
Sebastian is more historic than 10% of U.S. towns. 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.
3% of Sebastian’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.9 points), against a typical 1.6% for a Texas town; the median home was built in 1991.
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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 (2), the Library of Congress (4), 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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