On its age, its old homes and the National Register, White Mountain Lake is more historic than 4% of U.S. towns, #108 of 140 in Arizona. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
D−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of White Mountain Lake’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 White Mountain Lake’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 two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share (±0.8 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: our sources. 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 White Mountain Lake’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of White Mountain Lake yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
White Mountain Lake is a private reservoir owned by the Silver Creek Irrigation District, and leased by the surrounding community for their private recreational use. The reservoir is located within White Mountain Lake Estates, an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Navajo County, Arizona, United States. Use of the reservoir is restricted to property owners within this special use district. The community of White Mountain Lake is 7.5 miles (12.1 km) north-northeast of Show Low. White Mountain Lake has a post office with ZIP code 85912.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 2,205 to 2,335 (+6%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
By decade
No old photos in the archives yet
Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of White Mountain Lake. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1971Silver Springs sheet · 1:24,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of White Mountain Lake.
Famous people
Famous people close to White Mountain Lake
Nobody well known was born in White Mountain Lake itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
White Mountain Lake is more historic than 4% of U.S. towns, #108 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 White Mountain Lake?
0.0% of White Mountain Lake’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 0.4% for an Arizona town; the median home was built in 1995.
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 U.S. Geological Survey historical maps 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.
