Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
More historic than 33% of U.S. towns · #38 of 140 in Arizona. What drives it
3 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 66 buildings between them. Most of Coolidge was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2001. Below: 4 old photos and papers, maps from 1922 on, and the census since 1960.
Coolidge dates its founding to 1925 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history agree). The census first counted it in 1960.
More historic than 33% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Coolidge is more historic than 33% of U.S. towns, #38 of 140 in Arizona. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
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 Coolidge’s 40.3 sits above most of its state (86% of Arizona towns have fewer) while its 67 historic buildings outnumber those of 87% of U.S. towns.
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 →
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Coolidge’s history is told.
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Coolidge. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Coolidge.
From Wikipedia’s history of Coolidge.
The area containing what is now the city of Coolidge was occupied by the Hohokam, an indigenous ancient Sonoran Desert people who built a massive compound consisting many of caliche structures and remained in the area for over 1,000 years. The only remaining and preserved structure from this compound is the Casa Grande Ruins National Monument.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
BuiltCasa Grande National Monument is built
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
BuiltCoolidge Woman's Club is built
In the archiveCoolidge, Arizona. Toilet in district on edge of townOne decade in the archive so far: the 1940s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Coolidge’s page.
Retake this view · +15Grew from 4,990 people in 1960 to 13,218 in 2020.
7 censuses, 1960–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Coolidge’s Wikipedia page.
Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.
Coolidge’s post office has been open since 1926. Another post office, Kenilworth, opened and closed inside today’s town.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
In 1925, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Coolidge’s post office opened in 1891, and the census of 1960 counted 4,990 people here.
Coolidge is more historic than 33% of U.S. towns, #38 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.
Three places: the Casa Grande National Monument (listed 1966), the Coolidge Woman's Club (1990) and the Randolph Community Historic District (2024).
3% of Coolidge’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.9 points), against a typical 0.4% for an Arizona town; the median home was built in 2001.
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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 Library of Congress (3), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (3), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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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