Most of Towaoc was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1983. Below: maps from 1966 on and the census since 1990.
Founding year: the first Towaoc post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Towaoc’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Towaoc is more historic than 12% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Towaoc’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 Towaoc’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 (±8.4 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 Towaoc’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The Towaoc, Colorado, post office opened on April 1, 1915. The Ute Mountain Reservation was created on June 6, 1940.
Old Towaoc, located at the base of Ute Mountain, is approximately 2 miles (3 km) west of US Highways 491-160, and includes various tribal and BIA governmental buildings and housing areas, including the tribal offices of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe. In recent years, a small complex has been developed directly on US Highway 491–160 at the junction of the road into the original town.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Towaoc. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1966Towaoc sheet · 1:24,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Towaoc.
People over time
Towaoc, census by census
Between 700 and 1,120 people in every census since 1990.
4 censuses, 1990–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Towaoc’s Wikipedia page.
Places that used to be
Places now gone and burying grounds
Towaoc’s post office has been open since 1915.
Gone or out of use
Towaoc MinemineTowaoc Pitmine
1cemetery inside Towaoc
Ute Mountain Tribal
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Towaoc’s history
What year was Towaoc founded?
The Towaoc post office opened in 1915, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Towaoc rank for history?
Towaoc is more historic than 12% of U.S. towns. 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 Towaoc?
6% of Towaoc’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±8.4 points), against a typical 2.5% for a Colorado town; the median home was built in 1983.
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), 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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