Gallup dates to 1881, and 15 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 50% of U.S. towns · #21 of 73 in New Mexico. What drives it
Most of Gallup was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1977. 15 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 58 buildings. Below: 9 old photos and papers, maps from 1893 on, and the census since 1900.
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1882.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Gallup’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Gallup is more historic than 50% of U.S. towns, #21 of 73 in New Mexico. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Gallup’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 Gallup’s 35.2 sits above most of its state (81% of New Mexico towns have fewer) while its 74 historic buildings outnumber those of 87% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to B. The pre-1940 share (±1.6 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1881.
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 Gallup’s 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
Gallup, building by building, 1893–1922
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.
Gallup was founded in 1881 as a railhead for the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad. The city was named after David Gallup, a paymaster for the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad.
There is widespread belief that during World War II, the city fought successfully to prevent 800 Japanese American residents from being placed in wartime internment, the only New Mexico city to do so. But this is not true. Executive Order 9066 was never used to intern people living in Gallup, and the city complied with all federal orders and policies during the war.
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 1881, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Gallup’s post office opened in 1882, and the census of 1900 counted 2,948 people here.
How does Gallup rank for history?
Gallup is more historic than 50% of U.S. towns, #21 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 Gallup?
15 listings: 14 buildings, among them the Drake Hotel (listed 1988, the first), and 1 historic district, the Gallup Commercial Historic District, with 58 contributing buildings. 74 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Gallup?
4% of Gallup’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.6 points), against a typical 2.3% for a New Mexico 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 (3), the Library of Congress (6), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (15), 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.
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