Carbondale’s post office opened in 1887, and 2 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 37% of U.S. towns · #64 of 159 in Colorado. What drives it
Most of Carbondale was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1994. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1900 on, and the census since 1890.
Founding year: the first Carbondale post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).
History grade
What drives Carbondale’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Carbondale is more historic than 37% of U.S. towns, #64 of 159 in Colorado. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Carbondale’s overall grade.
Few Colorado towns list much on the Register (a typical Colorado town has 1.1 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Carbondale’s 3.0 sits near the middle of its state (58% of Colorado towns have fewer) while its 2 listings outnumber those of 60% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to C+. The pre-1940 share (±2.4 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
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 Carbondale’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
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.
1900Sheet 1 of 1
Edition
Sheets
BrickWoodStone
Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
The story so far
Carbondale, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Carbondale yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
The Town of Carbondale is a home rule municipality located in Garfield County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 6,434 at the 2020 United States census. Carbondale is a part of the Rifle, CO Micropolitan Statistical Area. The town is located in the Roaring Fork Valley, downstream from Aspen and upstream from the mouth of the Roaring Fork River at Glenwood Springs. The town proper sits on the south bank of the river, near its confluence with the Crystal River. Carbondale's horizon is dominated by the 12,953 ft (3,952 m) tall Mount Sopris several miles to the south of town. Carbondale is the northern terminus of the West Elk Loop Scenic and Historic Byway.
Its first post office opened in 1887. Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 6,427 in 2010, 6,434 in 2020.
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Carbondale, 1887 to 2002
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born 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.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
People over time
Carbondale, census by census
Grew from 166 people in 1890 to 6,434 in 2020, more than tenfold.
14 censuses, 1890–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Carbondale’s Wikipedia page.
Questions about Carbondale’s history
What year was Carbondale founded?
The Carbondale post office opened in 1887, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Carbondale rank for history?
Carbondale is more historic than 37% of U.S. towns, #64 of 159 in Colorado. 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 Carbondale?
Two places: the Satank Bridge (listed 1985) and the Holland-Thompson Property (2013).
How old are the homes in Carbondale?
5% of Carbondale’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.4 points), against a typical 2.5% for a Colorado town; the median home was built in 1994.
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 (2), 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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