More historic than 17% of U.S. towns · #100 of 159 in Colorado. What drives it
Most of New Castle was built recently: 2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2002. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1893 on, and the census since 1890.
The New Castle post office opened in 1888, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Chapman (1884), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 311 in 18902020 census: 4,923138 years
How historic is New Castle?
C−
More historic than 17% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first New Castle post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives New Castle’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, New Castle is more historic than 17% of U.S. towns, #100 of 159 in Colorado. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of New Castle’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 New Castle’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (22% of Colorado 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 range from D to C−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.4 points). 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 New Castle’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.
1893Sheet 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.
When New Castle was incorporated in 1888, its economy was largely based on mining coal that was needed by the silver-mining industry to fire silver smelters. On February 18, 1896, a methane explosion in the Vulcan Mine killed 49 men and started a coal fire that was still burning as of 2020. The Vulcan reopened and suffered additional explosions on December 12, 1913 (killing 37) and November 4, 1918 (killing 3).
There are at least 25 coal fires burning near the town. They are normally confined underground.
From 2000 - 2014 the population grew 129%, much higher than the average growth in Colorado over the same period (20.8%).
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.
New Castle’s post office has been open since 1888. Another post office, Chapman, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Chapman
1884–1888
New Castle
1888–today
18801950today
1cemetery inside New Castle
High Land
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about New Castle’s history
What year was New Castle founded?
The New Castle post office opened in 1888, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does New Castle rank for history?
New Castle is more historic than 17% of U.S. towns, #100 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.
How old are the homes in New Castle?
2% of New Castle’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.4 points), against a typical 2.5% for a Colorado town; the median home was built in 2002.
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 (8), the Library of Congress (3), Wikipedia, 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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