More historic than 2% of U.S. towns · #39 of 41 in Alaska. What drives it
Most of Eielson AFB was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2000. Below: 19 old photos and papers, maps from 1949 on, and the census since 1970.
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Eielson AFB’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Eielson AFB is more historic than 2% of U.S. towns, #39 of 41 in Alaska. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
D−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Eielson AFB’s overall grade.
Alaska towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Alaska town has 3.3 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Eielson AFB’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (25% of Alaska 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 (±1.1 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1943.
Founding year: Wikidata (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 Eielson AFB’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
On 7 June 1943, the Western Defense Command ordered construction of a new airfield near present-day Fort Wainwright, then a United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) airfield named after Major Arthur K. Ladd. Because of its hazard-free approaches and relatively flat terrain, surveyor reports indicated a site a little more than 25 miles southeast of Ladd Army Airfield to be the best in the vicinity for military aviation. The field became known as "Mile 26" because of its proximity to a United States Army Signal Corps telegraph station and a Richardson Highway milepost marker using the same designation.
In 1943, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. the census of 1970 counted 6,149 people here.
How does Eielson AFB rank for history?
Eielson AFB is more historic than 2% of U.S. towns, #39 of 41 in Alaska. 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 Eielson AFB?
0.0% of Eielson AFB’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.1 points), against a typical 0.3% for an Alaska town; the median home was built in 2000.
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 (24), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps and U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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