El Mirage’s post office opened in 1947, and 1 of its places is on the National Register
More historic than 19% of U.S. towns · #65 of 140 in Arizona. What drives it
Most of El Mirage was built recently: 0.3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2004. 1 place in town is on the National Register, among them a historic district with 13 buildings. Below: maps from 1957 on and the census since 1960.
Founding year: the first El Mirage post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1951.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives El Mirage’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, El Mirage is more historic than 19% of U.S. towns, #65 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 El Mirage’s 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 El Mirage’s 3.6 sits above most of its state (70% of Arizona towns have fewer) while its 13 historic buildings outnumber those of 77% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D− to C+. The pre-1940 share (±0.4 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1951 falls in the same era, so the grade doesn’t depend on which one is used.
Founding year: the first post office (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 El Mirage’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The Hohokam Native American tribe were the earliest inhabitants of the area that is now El Mirage. The ingenious Hohokam developed an elaborate irrigation network using only stone instruments and organized labor. They were commonly known as the "Canal Builders".
During the early 1930s, migrant farm workers settled in El Mirage on the west bank of the Agua Fria River. Mexican migrants came to El Mirage to help build the canals and harvest the first crops. Farming and agriculture remain central to El Mirage's economy, but it has witnessed a robust industrial growth over the past few decades, emerging as a diverse urban community.
The El Mirage post office opened in 1947, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1951.
How does El Mirage rank for history?
El Mirage is more historic than 19% of U.S. towns, #65 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 El Mirage?
One place: the Tal’-Wi-Wi Ranch (listed 2025).
How old are the homes in El Mirage?
0.3% of El Mirage’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 0.4% for an Arizona town; the median home was built in 2004.
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 the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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.
