5 places in town are on the National Register, among them the Tombstone Historic District, a National Historic Landmark, and a historic district with 9 buildings. Below: 4 old photos and papers, maps from 1886 on, and the census since 1880.
Founding year: the first Tombstone post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1879.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Tombstone’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Tombstone is more historic than 63% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Tombstone’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 Tombstone’s 146 sits above most of its state (96% of Arizona towns have fewer) while its 15 historic buildings outnumber those of 78% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±5.5 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1879 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 Tombstone’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Tombstone was founded on land historically inhabited by the Hohokam people, who lived in southern Arizona for over 2,000 years. The town was established in 1879 on a mesa above the Goodenough Mine. By 1880, the town had many saloons, gambling halls, dance halls, and brothels. It also boasted four churches, three newspapers, two banks, an ice house, and an ice cream parlor. In those days, the more respectable denizens of Tombstone attended theatrical productions presented by visiting troupes at the Schieffelin Hall, while the miners and cowboys preferred shows at the Bird Cage Theatre.
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.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Tombstone. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1932Fairbank 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 Tombstone.
Every building
Tombstone, building by building, 1886–1889
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.
The Tombstone post office opened in 1878, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1879.
How does Tombstone rank for history?
Tombstone is more historic than 63% of U.S. towns. 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 Tombstone?
5 listings: 4 buildings and 1 historic district, the Tombstone Historic District, with 9 contributing buildings. 15 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Tombstone?
11% of Tombstone’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.5 points), against a typical 0.4% for an Arizona town; the median home was built in 1980.
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 National Register of Historic Places (5), 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
1931
2010
2007
