Oro Valley was first counted by the census in 1970, and 1 of its places is on the National Register
More historic than 17% of U.S. towns · #68 of 140 in Arizona. What drives it
Most of Oro Valley was built recently: 0.2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1997. 1 place in town is on the National Register, among them a historic district with 8 buildings. Below: maps from 1957 on and the census since 1970.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Oro Valley is more historic than 17% of U.S. towns, #68 of 140 in Arizona. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Oro Valley’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 Oro Valley’s 1.7 sits near the middle of its state (64% of Arizona towns have fewer) while its 8 historic buildings outnumber those of 74% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D− to C. The pre-1940 share (±0.2 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: the first census (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 Oro Valley’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The area of Oro Valley has been inhabited discontinuously for nearly two thousand years by various groups of people. The Hohokam lived in the Honeybee Village in the foothills of the Tortolita Mountains on Oro Valley's far north side around AD 450 and continuously inhabited the village for nearly 800 years. Hohokam artifacts continue to be discovered in the Honeybee Village and studied by archaeologists around the globe.
The Oro Valley post office opened in 1970, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1974.
How does Oro Valley rank for history?
Oro Valley is more historic than 17% of U.S. towns, #68 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 Oro Valley?
One place: the Steam Pump Ranch (listed 2009).
How old are the homes in Oro Valley?
0.2% of Oro Valley’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 0.4% for an Arizona town; the median home was built in 1997.
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 (11), the Library of Congress (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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.
2018
2018
2013
2013
2012
2012
2011
2011
2009
2006
2005
2004
