More historic than 8% of U.S. towns · #94 of 140 in Arizona. What drives it
Most of Eloy was built recently: 2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2000. Below: 3 old photos and papers, maps from 1965 on, and the census since 1950.
The Eloy post office opened in 1919, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1949. Another post office, Toltec (1910), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
First census: 3,580 in 19502020 census: 15,635107 years
How historic is Eloy?
D
More historic than 8% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Eloy post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1949.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Eloy’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Eloy is more historic than 8% of U.S. towns, #94 of 140 in Arizona. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Eloy’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 Eloy’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (29% of Arizona 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 still be D. The pre-1940 share (±1.5 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata gives 1949.
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 Eloy’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
In 1880, as tracks were being laid for the Southern Pacific Railroad's Sunset Route, a small number of boxcars were used as a camp for railroad workers. It was discovered that cotton could be grown in the area's climate. In 1902, the Southern Pacific Railroad named the area train stop Eloy, an acronym for "East Line Of Yuma". Alternately, there is a legend that the area was initially called "Eloi", after a railroad employee looked around at the barren desert and said, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" (Aramaic and Hebrew for "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?"). A town called Cotton City was established in 1918. In 1919, the newly established post office rejected that name in favor of Eloy. As part of Pinal County, the city incorporated in 1949.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
The Eloy post office opened in 1919, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1949.
How does Eloy rank for history?
Eloy is more historic than 8% of U.S. towns, #94 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.
How old are the homes in Eloy?
2% of Eloy’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.5 points), against a typical 0.4% for an Arizona 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 (8), the Library of Congress (1), 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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