Most of Gadsden was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1976. Below: maps from 1903 on and the census since 2000.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Gadsden. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1903Yuma sheet · 1:125,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Gadsden.
The story so far
Gadsden, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Gadsden yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Gadsden is a census-designated place (CDP) and colonia in Yuma County, Arizona, United States. The population was 953 at the 2000 census. It is part of San Luis, Arizona and the Yuma County Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Its first post office opened in 1915. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 678 to 571 (-16%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
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). How TownRatings grades history →
From Wikimedia Commons (1), 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.
2020
