Idaho Falls dates to 1864, and 23 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 61% of U.S. towns · #16 of 59 in Idaho State. What drives it
Most of Idaho Falls was built recently: 10% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1977. 23 places in town are on the National Register, among them four historic districts with 173 buildings between them. Below: 6 old photos and papers, maps from 1892 on, and the census since 1900.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1866.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Idaho Falls’ History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Idaho Falls is more historic than 61% of U.S. towns, #16 of 59 in Idaho State. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Idaho Falls’ overall grade.
Idaho State towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Idaho State town has 8.4 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Idaho Falls’ 28.3 sits above most of its state (78% of Idaho State towns have fewer) while its 192 historic buildings outnumber those of 93% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1864.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B+. The pre-1940 share (±1.5 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: Wikidata (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 Idaho Falls’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Every building
Idaho Falls, building by building, 1892–1921
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.
1892Sheet 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 first European settlements in the area around Idaho Falls were sparse cattle and sheep ranches. No significant development took place until 1864, when a man named Harry Rickets built and operated a ferry on the Snake River at 43°36.112′N 112°3.528′W. The ferry served a new tide of westward migration and travel on the Montana Trail following the Bear River Massacre of Shoshone Indians in 1863.
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.
In 1864, according to Wikidata. Idaho Falls’ post office opened in 1866, and the census of 1900 counted 1,262 people here.
How does Idaho Falls rank for history?
Idaho Falls is more historic than 61% of U.S. towns, #16 of 59 in Idaho State. 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 Idaho Falls?
23 listings: 19 buildings, among them the Trinity Methodist Church (listed 1977, the first), and 4 historic districts with 173 contributing buildings. 192 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Idaho Falls?
10% of Idaho Falls’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.5 points), against a typical 8.5% for an Idaho State town; the median home was built in 1977.
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 (23), Wikipedia, 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.
1909
1909
