More historic than 4% of U.S. towns · #62 of 73 in New Mexico. What drives it
Most of Agua Fria was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1995. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1951 on, and the census since 2000.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Agua Fria is more historic than 4% of U.S. towns, #62 of 73 in New Mexico. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
D−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Agua Fria’s overall grade.
New Mexico towns list about as much on the Register as the country (a typical New Mexico town has 2.2 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Agua Fria’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (28% of New Mexico towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share (±1.0 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: our sources. 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 Agua Fria’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Native Americans lived in this area circa 3,000-3,500 BCE because of the water availability and moderate temperatures (about 30 fewer freezing days than in Santa Fe). Recent archaeological work shows a presence in this area back to 7,000 BCE.
The Spanish under command of Juan de Oñate passed through this area on the way to founding the first capital of New Mexico San Gabriel in 1598 (near present-day Ohkay Owingeh). The first recorded settlement was circa 1640 by the grandparents of Major Roque Madrid (the area then known as Pueblo Quemado for a burnt native town in the area). The grandfather Francisco de Madrid may have 'dropped off' from a 1603 expedition to farm this area (he is the namesake of Madrid, New Mexico, a mining area).
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.
Between 2,051 and 2,913 people in every census since 2000.
3 censuses, 2000–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Agua Fria’s Wikipedia page.
Questions about Agua Fria’s history
How does Agua Fria rank for history?
Agua Fria is more historic than 4% of U.S. towns, #62 of 73 in New Mexico. 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 Agua Fria?
0.0% of Agua Fria’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.0 points), against a typical 2.3% for a New Mexico town; the median home was built in 1995.
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 (5), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) 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.
c. 1900
2020
2012
2010
2004
