Among the newest of U.S. towns · #618 of 642 in Texas. What drives it
Most of Woodway was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1978. Below: maps from 1957 on and the census since 1960.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Woodway is among the newest of U.S. towns, #618 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 Woodway’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 Woodway’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 D. The pre-1940 share (±0.5 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: the first census (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 Woodway’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Originally founded in 1865 by Confederate veteran Burl Kendrick, Woodway was named by a committee of citizens in the early 1950s. Following the Supreme Court decisions Brown v. Board of Education and Brown II, the city of Waco mounted an attempt to desegregate the public school system. In response to the integration attempts, residents incorporated on June 20, 1955, under the name "Woodway," a portmanteau of the area's existing place names, Woodland West and the Village of Midway.
The Woodway post office opened in 1960, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Woodway rank for history?
Woodway is among the newest of U.S. towns, #618 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 Woodway?
0.0% of Woodway’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), 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), 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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