Nogales’ post office opened in 1883, and 35 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 58% of U.S. towns · #11 of 140 in Arizona. What drives it
Most of Nogales was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1978. 35 places in town are on the National Register, among them the Guevavi Mission Ruins, a National Historic Landmark, and two historic districts with 176 buildings between them. Below: 5 old photos and papers, maps from 1890 on, and the census since 1890.
The Nogales post office opened in 1883, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1893. Another post office, Isaacson (1882), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
First census: 1,194 in 18902020 census: 19,770143 years
How historic is Nogales?
B
More historic than 58% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Nogales post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1893.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Nogales’ History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Nogales is more historic than 58% of U.S. towns, #11 of 140 in Arizona. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Nogales’ 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 Nogales’ 112 sits above most of its state (94% of Arizona towns have fewer) while its 223 historic buildings outnumber those of 94% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B+. The pre-1940 share (±2.0 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1893 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 Nogales’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Every building
Nogales, building by building, 1890–1917
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
1890Sheet 1 of 1
Edition
Sheets
BrickWoodStone
Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
The name Nogales is derived from the Spanish word for 'walnut' or 'walnut tree'. It refers to the large stands of walnut trees that once stood in the mountain pass where Nogales is located.
Nogales was at the beginning of the 1775–1776 Juan Bautista de Anza Expedition as it entered the present-day U.S. from New Spain, and the town is now on the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail. On the second floor of the 1904 Nogales Courthouse is a small room dedicated to the 1775–1776 Anza Expedition.
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 Nogales post office opened in 1883, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1893.
How does Nogales rank for history?
Nogales is more historic than 58% of U.S. towns, #11 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 Nogales?
35 listings: 32 buildings, 2 historic districts, the Crawford Hill Historic Residential District and the Marsh Heights Historic District, with 176 contributing buildings, and 1 site. 223 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Nogales?
6% of Nogales’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.0 points), against a typical 0.4% for an Arizona town; the median home was built in 1978.
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 (2), the Library of Congress (3), Wikidata (7), the National Register of Historic Places (35), 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), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
★ Landmark
1898
1908
1909
