History · Phoenix

Phoenix has 228 places on the National Register

More historic than 49% of U.S. towns · #21 of 140 in Arizona. What drives it

Dated to 1867 (Wikipedia’s history), with 2% of its homes built before 1940 and 53 historic districts holding 6,669 contributing buildings. Most of Phoenix was built recently: 2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1985. Below: 12 old photos and papers, maps from 1889 on, the census since 1870, and every listing on the Register.

1867founded

228on the National Register

2%homes built before 1940

12old photos & papers

35famous people

Add an old photo Share a memory

From Phoenix’s archive · credits on each photo

Quick answers

How Phoenix began

When was Phoenix founded?

1867

Phoenix dates its founding to 1867 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1870.

First census: 240 in 18702020 census: 1,608,139159 years

How historic is Phoenix?

B⁻

More historic than 49% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓

Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1869.The full story ↓

History grade

What drives Phoenix’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Phoenix is more historic than 49% of U.S. towns, #21 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 Phoenix’s overall grade.

Founding era1867, from Wikipedia: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC⁺Homes built before 19401.9% of homes (±0.2) · typical AZ town 0.4% · U.S. 8.4%C⁻National Register228 listings, 6,669 historic buildings, 40.6 per 10,000 residents · typical AZ town 0.1 · U.S. 2.4A

All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 49%

NewerOlder

Arizona towns of 2,500+ (140)Ahead of 86%

Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Phoenix ranks #243 on History.

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 Phoenix’s 40.6 sits above most of its state (87% of Arizona towns have fewer) while its 6,669 historic buildings outnumber those of 100% of U.S. towns.

Newer cities are common at Phoenix’s size: in the typical U.S. city of 100,000 or more, 5% of homes predate 1940.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to B+. The pre-1940 share (±0.2 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1867. A citywide figure averages neighborhoods that differ a lot.

Founding year: Wikipedia (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 Phoenix’s past

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

A National Historic Landmark228 places on the National Register, including Pueblo Grande Ruin, a National Historic Landmark.A historic districtThe Willo Historic District takes in 876 historic buildings.Lost villages7 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Phoenix, and 285 old place names are still on the map.Mapped building by building6 fire insurance maps, 1889 to 1915, drew every building in Phoenix.

★ What stands out · On the National Register

228 listings protect 6,669 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. One is a National Historic Landmark, the highest tier. Boundary changes and added documentation are counted with their listing.

places listed

228

National Historic Landmark

Pueblo Grande Ruin

historic buildings protected

6,669

each building in a district counts

first listed

1966

Pueblo Grande Ruin

★ Landmark

Pueblo Grande RuinDistrict

Dr. Roland Lee Rosson HouseVictorian · Built 1895

Phoenix Carnegie Library And Library ParkBuilding

Evans HouseVictorian

Monroe SchoolClassical Revival

St. Mary's ChurchMission Revival · Built 1881

Adams SchoolNeo-Classical Revival

First Baptist ChurchItalian Gothic

All 231 listings

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Phoenix’s post office has been open since 1869. Seven other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

McDowell

1869–1917

Phoenix

1869–today

East Phoenix

1871–1876

Maryville

1873–1874

Alhambra

1893–1918

Valley Heights

1914–1919

Cactus

1918–1963

Jokake

1936–1944

18601940today

Hamlets and corners on the map

A and F Trailer ParkA-1 Trailer ParkAdmiral Trailer ParkAdobeAdobe Mountain Trailer ParkAhwatukeeAire Libre Mobile Home ParkAlhambraAmberwood NorthAnthemArbor Manor Mobile Home ParkAristocrat Trailer ParkAutumn RidgeBasking RidgeBel-Aire Trailer ParkBell Acres Mobile Home ParkBell Casas Mobile Home EstatesBig Palm Trailer ParkBig Pine Mobile Home ParkBiltmore GatesBiltmore Greens IIIBiltmore VillasBlue Bell Mobile Home ParkBlue Palm Mobile Home Park

Gone or out of use

Arizona State Hospital FarmhospitalBlack Canyon Golf CourselocaleCanal AlamocanalCanal Bueno Lower BranchcanalCanal CiudadcanalCanal FivecanalCanal Five Lower BranchcanalCanal FourcanalCanal LaveencanalCanal Laveen South BranchcanalCanal PatrickcanalCanal Patrick Lower BranchcanalCanal Rio Lower BranchcanalCanal SevencanalCanal Seven Lower BranchcanalCanal SixcanalCanal TencanalCanal Threecanal

22cemeteries and burying grounds inside Phoenix

Beth ElBeth Israel MemorialCementerio LindoChurch of the Beatitudes ColumbariumCity LoosleyFaith Lutheran Church ColumbariumGovernor Hunt TombGreenwood Memory Lawn Mortuary andHoly RedeemerMemory LawnNational Memorial Cemetery of ArizonaPhoenix Memorial Park and MortuaryPioneer and Military Memorial ParkPorterResthaven Memorial GardensRosedaleSaint Francis CatholicSaint Mary's Episcopal ChurchTrinity Episcopal Cathedral ColumbariumTrinity United Methodist Church Memorial GardenValley of the Sun Memorial ParkWork Circle

See all 22

Beth El Cemetery · Beth Israel Memorial Cemetery · Cementerio Lindo · Church of the Beatitudes Columbarium · City Loosley Cemetery · Faith Lutheran Church Columbarium · Governor Hunt Tomb · Greenwood Memory Lawn Mortuary and Cemetery · Holy Redeemer Cemetery · Memory Lawn Cemetery · National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona · Phoenix Memorial Park and Mortuary · Pioneer and Military Memorial Park Cemetery · Porter Cemetery · Resthaven Memorial Gardens Cemetery · Rosedale Cemetery · Saint Francis Catholic Cemetery · Saint Mary's Episcopal Church Cemetery · Trinity Episcopal Cathedral Columbarium · Trinity United Methodist Church Memorial Garden · Valley of the Sun Memorial Park · Work Circle Cemetery

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

The story

How Phoenix came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Phoenix.

Read it all →

The Hohokam people occupied the Phoenix area for 2,000 years. They created roughly 135 miles (217 kilometers) of irrigation canals, making the desert land arable, and paths of these canals were used for the Arizona Canal, Central Arizona Project Canal, and the Hayden-Rhodes Aqueduct. They also carried out extensive trade with the nearby Ancestral Puebloans, Mogollon, and Sinagua, as well as with the more distant Mesoamerican civilizations. It is believed periods of drought and severe floods between 1300 and 1450 led to the Hohokam civilization's abandonment of the area.

ChaptersEarly history Founding and incorporation 1901 to World War II Post-World War II explosive growth 1960s to present

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Phoenix in 1895

Passages that mention Phoenix, cut from the printed page as they were published.

Phoenix are but a myth ; for, if such had ever existed, this highly oxygenated air would have restored to them the bloom of sweet sixteen. Phoenix can never have old maids — only jewels shining with such brilliancy that they need not the setting of matrimony to enhance their lustre. But if fate dec… — **A natural sequence**1895 · page 56Read the page →
Read the text
Phoenix are but a myth ; for, if such had ever existed, this highly oxygenated air would have restored to them the bloom of sweet sixteen. Phoenix can never have old maids — only jewels shining with such brilliancy that they need not the setting of matrimony to enhance their lustre. But if fate decrees for them these
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Timeline

Phoenix, 1867 to 1965

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

19th century
1867
FoundingPhoenix is established
1869Post officeThe McDowell post office opens
1869Post officeThe Phoenix post office opens
1871Post officeThe East Phoenix post office opens
1876Post officeThe East Phoenix post office closes
1881BuiltSt. Mary's Church is built
1895BuiltDr. Roland Lee Rosson House is built
1895BuiltPhoenix Union High School Historic District is built
20th century
1902In the archiveArizona State Capitol
1909Born hereBarry Goldwater is born here
1910In the archivePhoenix fire department engine number 3 in the early 20th century
1912On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
1917Post officeThe McDowell post office closes
1924In the archiveUnion Depot (NBY 2405)
1928BuiltHotel Westward Ho is built
1939In the archiveCentral Avenue (NBY 8733)
1948Born hereStevie Nicks is born here
1965LandmarkPueblo Grande Ruin named a National Historic Landmark

By decade

Phoenix, decade by decade

4 decades in the archive, from the 1900s to the 1930s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1900s7 items

1902Arizona State Capitol

1903The Curio

The busy corner of Phoenix, Arizona - Lester Clement Barton

1908The busy corner of Phoenix, Arizona - Lester Clement …Postcard

1908Palm Avenue

1908Phoenix, Arizona

1908Capitol of Arizona

1908Birdeye

1910s–1930s5 items

Phoenix fire department engine number 3 in the early 20th century

c. 1910Phoenix fire department engine number 3 in the early …Postcard

1924Union Depot (NBY 2405)Postcard

1925Untitled - Native Americans (NBY 8449)Postcard

1926Lariat Coyboy by Constance Warren Whitney

1939Central Avenue (NBY 8733)Postcard

1940s–1990snothing yet

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.

Add from your album

On the map

Phoenix on the map, 1912 to 1982

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

1912Phoenix 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 Phoenix.

Every building

Phoenix, building by building, 1889–1915

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.

Phoenix fire insurance map, 1889, sheet 2

1889Sheet 2 of 5

Edition

Sheets

+4 more at the Library of Congress

BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Retake this viewArizona State Capitol, 1902

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Phoenix’s page.

Retake this view · +15

People over time

Phoenix, census by census

Grew from 240 people in 1870 to 1,608,139 in 2020, more than tenfold.

16 censuses, 1870–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Phoenix’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

35 famous people were born in Phoenix

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →

Chester BenningtonAmerican singer, songwriter and musician · b. 1976

Stevie NicksAmerican singer and songwriter born 1948 · b. 1948

Jordin SparksAmerican singer · b. 1989

Barry GoldwaterAmerican politician and military officer · b. 1909

Kaitlyn DeverAmerican actress · b. 1996

Lynda CarterAmerican actress, singer, and beauty pageant ti… · b. 1951

Help out

Finish Phoenix’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos

00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s

4 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.

Retake an old viewArizona State Capitol: stand where they stood+15 Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Scottsdale11 historic placesC⁺Peoria4 historic placesC Glendale22 historic placesB⁻Paradise Valley4 historic placesC⁻Tempe53 historic placesC⁺New River2 historic placesC Cave Creek3 historic placesC Maricopa ColonyIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town TollesonIts storyD Avondale1 historic placeC⁻

Questions about Phoenix’s history

What year was Phoenix founded?

In 1867, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Phoenix’s post office opened in 1869, and the census of 1870 counted 240 people here.

How does Phoenix rank for history?

Phoenix is more historic than 49% of U.S. towns, #21 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 Phoenix?

228 listings: 174 buildings, 54 historic districts with 6,258 contributing buildings, 2 sites, and 1 structure. 6,669 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Phoenix?

2% of Phoenix’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 0.4% for an Arizona town; the median home was built in 1985.

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).

From Wikimedia Commons (6), the Library of Congress (6), the National Register of Historic Places (231), 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, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.

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