More historic than 16% of U.S. towns · #103 of 159 in Colorado. What drives it
Most of Penrose was built recently: 9% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1984. Below: maps from 1959 on and the census since 1990.
Founding year: the first Penrose post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Penrose’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Penrose is more historic than 16% of U.S. towns, #103 of 159 in Colorado. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Penrose’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 Penrose’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 (±4.3 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 Penrose’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Settlers followed the Pike's Peak gold rush (July 1858 and lasted until the creation of the Territory of Colorado on February 28, 1861). Farmers were incentivized by the Homestead Act to come to the area. A stage coach stop was established along Beaver Creek, which was known as the Beaver Creek settlement initially, with a post office there by 1868. Then, the settlement became known as Glendale. It had a stagecoach stop and hotel named Glendale Inn Stage Coach Stop as well as other names. A school was established there in 1868 and operated until 1912, when a school was established in Penrose. It is east or the eastern part of present-day Penrose.
The Penrose post office opened in 1909, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Penrose rank for history?
Penrose is more historic than 16% of U.S. towns, #103 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 Penrose?
9% of Penrose’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.3 points), against a typical 2.5% for a Colorado town; the median home was built in 1984.
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 (17), 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.
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