Which U.S. Counties Have the Most Prewar Homes?

Many people love the idea of owning a home that preserves a piece of history. But what are your actual chances of finding one in today's market?

Exploring the Timeless Charm: Architectural Diversity in Prewar Homes

Historic homes date back to the prewar era, meaning they were built before World War II. Houses in this era can come in various architectural styles, which also vary with the age of a city or county and what was in vogue at the time it was built. Prewar home styles include Colonial, Tudor, Georgian, Cape Cod, Georgian, Victorian, Edwardian, Craftsman, and Art Deco.

Depending on where you want to live, it can be challenging to find a prewar home. About 11% of occupied homes in the U.S. were built before 1939. That said, older homes are easier to find on the East Coast, as it was the part of the country with many of the first residential communities. Many places on the East Coast also have large concentrations of prewar homes because there's not as much land for developers to build new homes.

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But that doesn't mean you can't find prewar homes in the rest of the country. In every state, there are cities with rich histories like San Francisco, with its colorful Victorian homes, or New Orleans, with its mix of European influences.

Discovering Historical Treasures: Prewar Home Hotspots Across the Nation

Rocket Homes examined Census Bureau data to find which county has the most prewar homes in every state, calculated by dividing the number of homes built before 1939 by all occupied housing units in that county. States are listed in alphabetical order. Washington D.C. was also included. For this analysis, "prewar" refers to homes built in 1939 or earlier, based on how the Census Bureau collects data.

States with the largest share of prewar homes are largely on the East Coast and Midwest. Lincoln County, Kansas, has the highest percentage of prewar homes in the top counties in every state.