Uvalde dates to 1853, and 11% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 66% of U.S. towns · #71 of 642 in Texas. What drives it
5 places in town are on the National Register, among them the John Nance Garner House, a National Historic Landmark, and a historic district with 77 buildings. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1885 on, and the census since 1880.
Uvalde dates its founding to 1853 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1880.
First census: 794 in 18802020 census: 15,217173 years
How did Uvalde get its name?
Uvalde was founded in 1853 as the town of Encina, but was renamed in 1856 as Uvalde.
More on the name
Its name is a misspelling of the Spanish governor Juan de Ugalde (Cádiz, Andalusia, 1729–1816). Ugalde is a name of Basque origin, meaning water-side or river.
How historic is Uvalde?
B+
More historic than 66% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Uvalde is more historic than 66% of U.S. towns, #71 of 642 in Texas. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Uvalde’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 Uvalde’s 53.8 sits above most of its state (94% of Texas towns have fewer) while its 83 historic buildings outnumber those of 88% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.2 points). Two sources give 1853.
Founding year: Wikipedia (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 Uvalde’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Every building
Uvalde, building by building, 1885–1922
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
1885Sheet 1 of 1
Edition
Sheets
BrickWoodStone
Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Uvalde was founded by Reading Wood Black in 1853 as the town of Encina. In 1856, when the county was organized, the town was renamed Uvalde after Spanish governor Juan de Ugalde (Cádiz, Andalusia, 1729–1816) and was chosen as county seat. It is the southern limit of the Texas Hill Country and is part of South Texas. Uvalde is known for its production, dating back to the 1870s, of huajillo honey (also spelled guajillo), a mild, light-colored honey.
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.
Brice Lane ColoniaGonzales ColoniaNorth Uvalde ColoniaVanham Addition Colonia
1cemetery inside Uvalde
Pioneer Park
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Uvalde’s history
What year was Uvalde founded?
In 1853, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Uvalde’s post office opened in 1857, and the census of 1880 counted 794 people here.
How does Uvalde rank for history?
Uvalde is more historic than 66% of U.S. towns, #71 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 Uvalde?
5 listings: 4 buildings, among them the John Nance Garner House (a National Historic Landmark since 1976), and 1 historic district, the Uvalde Downtown Historic District, with 77 contributing buildings. 83 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Uvalde?
11% of Uvalde’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.2 points), against a typical 1.6% for a Texas town; the median home was built in 1978.
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 (3), the National Register of Historic Places (5), Wikipedia, 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), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
★ Landmark
2008
