Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Most of Animas was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1981. Below: maps from 1918 on.
The Animas post office opened in 1909, the earliest record of the town by name.
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Animas’s history is told.
From Wikipedia’s history of Animas.
Founded circa 1753 by the Spanish, Animas became part of the newly independent country of Mexico in 1821. Unlike most of New Mexico, Animas was not part of the Mexican Cession after the Mexican–American War ended; it is located in the area sold to the United States with the Gadsden Purchase of 1853.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
2015Arizona,USA
2014Tree Lizard (Urosaurus ornatus)
2014Lesser Earless Lizard (Holbrookia maculata)
2014Eastern Collared lLizard (Crotaphytus collaris)
2014Eastern Collared Lizard (Crotaphytus collaris)
2010New Mexico bootheel topo v1
2010Animas New Mexico
2009Volcanic vent at head of lava flow
2009Volcanic vent at head of lava flow Animas New Mexico …
2009NMMap-doton-AnimasEvery edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Animas. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Animas.
Nobody well known was born in Animas itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
The Animas post office opened in 1909, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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). How TownRatings grades history →
From Wikimedia Commons (10), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.
