Clayton dates to 1887, and 18% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 68% of U.S. towns · #11 of 73 in New Mexico. What drives it
6 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 7 buildings. Below: 8 old photos and papers, maps from 1902 on, and the census since 1910.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1886.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Clayton’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Clayton is more historic than 68% of U.S. towns, #11 of 73 in New Mexico. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Clayton’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 Clayton’s 40.0 sits above most of its state (82% of New Mexico towns have fewer) while its 11 historic buildings outnumber those of 76% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B− to A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±6.4 points). Two sources give 1887.
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 Clayton’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
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.
Native Americans were present in the area of Clayton for at least 10,000 years, as evidenced by the findings at the Folsom site about 55 miles northwest of Clayton, near the village of Folsom.
The first Spanish explorers in the 16th century found the region inhabited by the Apache people. In the 18th and early to mid-19th century, the Comanche controlled this region. The Spanish called their domain Comancheria.
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 1887, according to Wikidata. Clayton’s post office opened in 1886, and the census of 1910 counted 970 people here.
How does Clayton rank for history?
Clayton is more historic than 68% of U.S. towns, #11 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.
What is on the National Register in Clayton?
6 listings: 4 buildings, among them the Union County Courthouse (listed 1987, the first), 1 historic district, the Clayton Public Schools Historic District, with 7 contributing buildings, and 1 structure. 11 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Clayton?
18% of Clayton’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.4 points), against a typical 2.3% for a New Mexico town; the median home was built in 1963.
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 (7), the Library of Congress (5), Wikidata (4), the National Register of Historic Places (6), 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.
1941
1941
1941
1941
Date?
2026
2018
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