Socorro dates to 1680, and 2 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 75% of U.S. towns · #39 of 642 in Texas. What drives it
2 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 17 buildings. Most of Socorro was built recently: 2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2000. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1939 on, and the census since 1890.
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1851.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Socorro’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Socorro is more historic than 75% of U.S. towns, #39 of 642 in Texas. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Socorro’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 Socorro’s 4.8 sits above most of its state (82% of Texas towns have fewer) while its 18 historic buildings outnumber those of 79% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B− to A+. The pre-1940 share (±1.7 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1680.
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 Socorro’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Socorro had its own post office from 1851 to 1915.
Socorro
1851–1915
18501940today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Adobe ColoniaAlameda Estates ColoniaAldama Estates ColoniaAlgodon ColoniaAljo Estates ColoniaAngie ColoniaBagge Estates ColoniaBauman Estates ColoniaBauman Estates Number 2 ColoniaBauman Estates Number 3 ColoniaBejar Estates ColoniaBelen Plaza ColoniaBovee Road ColoniaBufordBuford View Estates ColoniaCalcutta ColoniaCotton Valley Estates ColoniaCountry Green Addition ColoniaDelip ColoniaDindinger Road ColoniaEl Campestre ColoniaEl Gran Valle ColoniaEl Gran Valle Number 2 ColoniaEllen Park Colonia
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Help out
Start Socorro’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Socorro’s history is told.
Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Socorro was established in 1680 by local Manso and Piro Indians fleeing the Pueblo Revolt in northern New Mexico. It took its name from Socorro, the town in central New Mexico from which the Piros had originated, which had been given the name Socorro (Spanish for "aid" or "succor") by the Spaniards due to the helpful attitude of the Piro toward the Spaniards at the time of first contact. The probable date of a Mass celebrated in the mission church of Nuestra Señora de la Limpia Concepción del Socorro, October 13, 1680, is regarded as the founding date of the city in Texas, called Socorro, established by the Spaniards and the Piro they brought south with them from New Mexico during the Pueblo Revolt. Socorro was first incorporated in 1871, and was reincorporated in 1985 in response to an annexation attempt from neighboring El Paso.
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.
In 1680, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Socorro’s post office opened in 1851, and the census of 1890 counted 801 people here.
How does Socorro rank for history?
Socorro is more historic than 75% of U.S. towns, #39 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 Socorro?
Two places: the Socorro Mission (listed 1972) and the Rio Vista Farm Historic District (1996).
How old are the homes in Socorro?
2% of Socorro’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.7 points), against a typical 1.6% for a Texas town; the median home was built in 2000.
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 (5), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (2), 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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