More historic than 20% of U.S. towns · #63 of 140 in Arizona. What drives it
Most of Thatcher was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1990. Below: 4 old photos and papers, maps from 1915 on, and the census since 1890.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1888.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Thatcher’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Thatcher is more historic than 20% of U.S. towns, #63 of 140 in Arizona. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Thatcher’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 Thatcher’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 any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would still be C−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.1 points). Two sources give 1881.
Founding year: Wikidata (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 Thatcher’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Thatcher was originally settled by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The first settler was John M. Moody who arrived in Thatcher with his wife and children in 1881. The founding of Thatcher is attributed to Mormon pioneer Christopher Layton, who bought two thousand acres, named the acreage "Thatcher", divided them into lots, and sold those lots to Mormon settlers. Layton also bought a gristmill and built roads, canals and homes.
Eastern Arizona College traces its history to the St. Joseph Stake Academy started by the church in nearby Central. Central is also the location of the Gila Valley Arizona Temple.
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.
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.
In 1881, according to Wikidata. Thatcher’s post office opened in 1888, and the census of 1890 counted 320 people here.
How does Thatcher rank for history?
Thatcher is more historic than 20% of U.S. towns, #63 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 Thatcher?
4% of Thatcher’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.1 points), against a typical 0.4% for an Arizona town; the median home was built in 1990.
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, 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.
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2021
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