More historic than 8% of U.S. towns · #94 of 140 in Arizona. What drives it
Most of Gold Canyon was built recently: 0.6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2003. Below: maps from 1956 on and the census since 2000.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Gold Canyon is more historic than 8% of U.S. towns, #94 of 140 in Arizona. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
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HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Gold Canyon’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 Gold Canyon’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 two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share (±0.9 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: our sources. 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 Gold Canyon’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
In 2023, a shooting occurred in Gold Canyon. A women was shot and later transported to a hospital, where she later died from her injuries. A man was found dead at the scene from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. A 7-year-old boy who was present during the shooting was shot and sustained minor injuries. Two years later, in 2025, a car crash left four people dead near Gold Canyon.
Gold Canyon 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 Gold Canyon?
0.6% of Gold Canyon’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 0.4% for an Arizona town; the median home was built in 2003.
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 (6), 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.
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