Vanderbilt was established in 1904, built around the St. Louis, Brownsville and Mexico Railway station of the old Mitchell spread in the George Ewing league. The community has served as a trade center for local farmers and traders. At one time there was a hotel in the community. A post office was built in 1907 and was in use through 1988, when a new one was built. The ZIP Code is 77991. By 1945, Vanderbilt had a population of 300 and about 10 stores and trading posts. The town's population reached 900 in 1962, the highest in its history. By 1971, the town was back down to 667, where it remained stable until 1990. Then, there were only five stores remaining in town, and the population decreased by the hundreds.
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). How TownRatings grades history →
From 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.
