More historic than 12% of U.S. towns · #452 of 642 in Texas. What drives it
Most of Seminole was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1979. Below: 3 old photos and papers, maps from 1970 on, and the census since 1940.
Founding year: the first Seminole post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Seminole’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Seminole is more historic than 12% of U.S. towns, #452 of 642 in Texas. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Seminole’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 Seminole’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 D to C−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.7 points). 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 Seminole’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The land for Seminole was donated by nonresident landowners to become the county seat for Gaines County. In 1906, the first move to Seminole was made by W. B. Austin and his wife Emma, who moved their general store there, which was located in Caput, Texas. During this time, several post offices found a new home in Seminole. Seminole National Bank opened its doors in 1906, followed by First State Bank in 1907. In 1912, Seminole National Bank lost over $3,000 when it was robbed. In 1914, the two banks merged to form First State Bank. In 1950, Seminole's population surpassed Seagraves, Texas, for the first time.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Grew from 1,761 people in 1940 to 6,988 in 2020, 3 times over.
9 censuses, 1940–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Seminole’s Wikipedia page.
Questions about Seminole’s history
What year was Seminole founded?
The Seminole post office opened in 1906, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Seminole rank for history?
Seminole is more historic than 12% of U.S. towns, #452 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 Seminole?
4% of Seminole’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.7 points), against a typical 1.6% for a Texas town; the median home was built in 1979.
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), Wikipedia, 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.
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