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McNeal, ArizonaPhoto: Ken Lund · CC BY-SA 2.0
–Not graded
History · McNeal

McNeal’s post office opened in 1909

Most of McNeal was built recently: 1% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1995. Below: maps from 1922 on.

1909first post office
0on the National Register
1%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Ken Lund · CC BY-SA 2.0
Quick answers

How McNeal began

When was McNeal founded?

1909

The McNeal post office opened in 1909, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 182117 years
Founding year: the first McNeal post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about McNeal’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of McNeal are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19224 editions of the USGS map, 1922 to 1996. Watch McNeal change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start McNeal’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how McNeal’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

McNeal on the map, 1922 to 1996

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of McNeal. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

McNeal on the 1922 USGS mapMcNeal on the 1958 USGS mapMcNeal on the 1986 USGS mapMcNeal on the 1996 USGS map1922Swisshelm sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of McNeal.

The story so far

McNeal, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of McNeal yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

McNeal is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Cochise County, Arizona, United States. As of the 2010 United States census it had a population of 238. McNeal is located on U.S. Route 191, 21 miles (34 km) northwest of Douglas. McNeal has the United States Postal Service zip code of 85617.

Its first post office opened in 1909. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 238 to 182 (-24%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

By decade

McNeal, decade by decade

Today1 recent
McNeal, Arizona2009McNeal, Arizona
Famous people

Famous people close to McNeal

Nobody well known was born in McNeal itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Jack WilliamsonAmerican science fiction writer · b. 1908
Lloyd HughesAmerican actor · b. 1897
E
Earl HindmanAmerican actor · b. 1942
Lewis Williams DouglasPolitician and American businessman · b. 1894
Peggy AhernActress · b. 1917
S
Stan JonesAmerican songwriter · b. 1914

Questions about McNeal’s history

What year was McNeal founded?

The McNeal post office opened in 1909, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

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, 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.