Willcox dates to 1880, and 14 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 56% of U.S. towns · #13 of 140 in Arizona. What drives it
Most of Willcox was built recently: 7% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1977. 14 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 15 buildings. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1893 on, and the census since 1890.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1880.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Willcox’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Willcox is more historic than 56% of U.S. towns, #13 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 Willcox’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 Willcox’s 90.0 sits above most of its state (93% of Arizona towns have fewer) while its 29 historic buildings outnumber those of 81% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.8 points). Two sources give 1880.
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 Willcox’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Originally known as "Maley", the town was founded in 1880 as a whistlestop on the Southern Pacific Railroad because of its position approximately halfway between El Paso, Texas and Phoenix, Arizona. It was renamed in honor of a visit by General Orlando B. Willcox in 1889. In the early 20th century, Willcox was a national leader in cattle production. Agriculture remains important to the local economy, but Interstate 10 has replaced the railroad as the major transportation link, and much of the economy is tied to the highway, which runs immediately north of the town.
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 Willcox. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1943Willcox 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 Willcox.
Every building
Willcox, building by building, 1893–1927
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.
Willcox’s post office has been open since 1889. Another post office, Wilcox, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Wilcox
1880–1889
Willcox
1889–today
18801950today
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Willcox’s history
What year was Willcox founded?
In 1880, according to Wikidata. Willcox’s post office opened in 1880, and the census of 1890 counted 396 people here.
How does Willcox rank for history?
Willcox is more historic than 56% of U.S. towns, #13 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 Willcox?
14 listings: 13 buildings, among them the Norton, John H., and Company Store (listed 1983, the first), and 1 historic district, the Railroad Avenue Historic District, with 15 contributing buildings. 29 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Willcox?
7% of Willcox’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.8 points), against a typical 0.4% for an Arizona town; the median home was built in 1977.
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 (1), Wikidata (5), the National Register of Historic Places (14), 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.
