Casas Adobes dates to 1997, and 1 of its places is on the National Register
More historic than 20% of U.S. towns · #64 of 140 in Arizona. What drives it
Most of Casas Adobes was built recently: 0.3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1986. 1 place in town is on the National Register, among them a historic district with 30 buildings. Below: maps from 1957 on and the census since 2000.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Casas Adobes is more historic than 20% of U.S. towns, #64 of 140 in Arizona. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Casas Adobes’ overall grade.
Few Arizona towns list much on the Register (a typical Arizona town has 0.1 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Casas Adobes’ 4.2 sits above most of its state (71% of Arizona towns have fewer) while its 30 historic buildings outnumber those of 82% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikipedia alone; no second source gives 1997.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D− to C+. The pre-1940 share (±0.2 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: Wikipedia (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 Casas Adobes’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Places that used to be
Old corners and burying grounds
Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.
Hamlets and corners on the map
Friendly Village of the Catalinas Mobile Home ParkOrange Grove EstatesOrange Grove Mobile EstatesRancho Los Amigos Mobile Home ParkTucson National EstatesValley View
3cemeteries and burying grounds inside Casas Adobes
Ascension Lutheran Church Memorial GardenBeautiful Savior Church Memorial GardenSaint Andrew's Presbyterian Church Columbarium
Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Though Casas Adobes is an unincorporated community, it is older than both the towns of Oro Valley and Marana.
The area bordering the Cañada del Oro in the north, and the Rillito River in the south was primarily inhabited and utilized by cattle ranchers. Cattle ranches dominated the Casas Adobes area until the 1920s, when Tucson had grown far enough north and the advent of the automobile made the area more easily accessible.
In 1997, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. the census of 2000 counted 54,011 people here.
How does Casas Adobes rank for history?
Casas Adobes is more historic than 20% of U.S. towns, #64 of 140 in Arizona. 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.
What is on the National Register in Casas Adobes?
One place: the Casitas de Castilian Historic District (listed 2022).
How old are the homes in Casas Adobes?
0.3% of Casas Adobes’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 0.4% for an Arizona town; the median home was built in 1986.
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 (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) 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.
2014
