On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Orchard City is more historic than 41% of U.S. towns, #57 of 159 in Colorado. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Orchard City’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 Orchard City’s 6.2 sits above most of its state (65% of Colorado towns have fewer) while its 2 historic buildings 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 B+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±6.7 points).
Founding year: the first census (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 Orchard City’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
In the early 20th century, because residents in the area were getting sick from drinking ditch water, three small communities (Austin, Cory, and Eckert) agreed to consolidate in order to be able to raise enough money to build a water pipeline. Thus Orchard City was incorporated in 1912, but even to this day it's more common for people to refer to one of the three specific communities within the boundaries of Orchard City. The community was named for an orchard near the original town site.
Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.
Eckert
1891–today
Cory
1895–today
Austin
1905–today
18901960today
Hamlets and corners on the map
AustinCoryEckert
Gone or out of use
Hallenbeck Pitmine
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Orchard City
CoryEckert
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Orchard City’s history
What year was Orchard City founded?
The Orchard City post office opened in 1920, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Orchard City rank for history?
Orchard City is more historic than 41% of U.S. towns, #57 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 Orchard City?
One place: the First Presbyterian Church of Eckert (listed 2006).
How old are the homes in Orchard City?
16% of Orchard City’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.7 points), against a typical 2.5% for a Colorado town; the median home was built in 1981.
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 (4), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) 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.
2020
2020
2014
2005
