More historic than 17% of U.S. towns · #361 of 642 in Texas. What drives it
Most of White Settlement was built recently: 1% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1973. Below: maps from 1955 on and the census since 1950.
How White Settlement began, and where its name came from
When was White Settlement founded?
1886
The White Settlement post office opened in 1886, the earliest record of the town by name.
First census: 10,827 in 19502020 census: 18,269140 years
How did White Settlement get its name?
The city got its name as it was a lone settlement of White colonists amid several Native American villages in the Fort Worth area in the Texas Republic territory in the 1840s.
More on the name
On October 14, 2005, city leaders, citing hurdles in attracting businesses, announced a plan to have local voters decide on a possible name change for the town from White Settlement to West Settlement. In the November 8 election, the name change was overwhelmingly rejected by a vote of 2,388 to 219.
How historic is White Settlement?
C−
More historic than 17% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, White Settlement is more historic than 17% of U.S. towns, #361 of 642 in Texas. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of White Settlement’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 White Settlement’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 (±0.8 points) is firm at this size. 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 White Settlement’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Even before the beginnings of a nearby military outpost, Fort Worth, white settlers took up refuge along a creek, later named Farmers Branch Creek. Before the end of 1841, settlers began arriving from Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee. In 1850, the area's first census showed the population consisted of 599 White Americans and 65 Black enslaved people. By the mid-1850s, many more settlers arrived, bringing with them more enslaved people.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of White Settlement. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1955Lake Worth sheet · 1:24,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of White Settlement.
People over time
White Settlement, census by census
Between 10,827 and 18,269 people in every census since 1950.
8 censuses, 1950–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on White Settlement’s Wikipedia page.
Famous people
Famous people close to White Settlement
Nobody well known was born in White Settlement itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
The White Settlement post office opened in 1886, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does White Settlement rank for history?
White Settlement is more historic than 17% of U.S. towns, #361 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 White Settlement?
1% of White Settlement’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 1.6% for a Texas town; the median home was built in 1973.
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), 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.
2023
2023
2004
