On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Ranchos de Taos is more historic than 62% of U.S. towns, #14 of 73 in New Mexico. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
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HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Ranchos de Taos’ 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 Ranchos de Taos’ 90.7 sits above most of its state (91% of New Mexico towns have fewer) while its 23 historic buildings outnumber those of 80% 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 is a Census survey estimate (±4.0 points).
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 Ranchos de Taos’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
In 1725, the settlement that was originally called Las Trampas de Taos became the permanent Spanish settlement called Ranchos de Taos. In 1760, Ranchos de Taos, also called Taos "Old Town", was attacked by Comanches who took 50 women from a fortified house, the home of the Vidalpando family, and killed the men of the settlement.
Spanish settlers of the Taos Valley moved into the Taos Pueblo for safety from attacks from Plains Indians. In 1772 a mission church was begun. Between 1796 and 1797, land from the Don Fernando de Taos Land Grant was given to 63 Spanish families. In 1815 the San Francisco de Asis Mission Church was completed. The Taos region population grew as the result of land grants made by Mexico between 1821 and 1846.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Ranchos de Taos. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1936Taos And Vicinity sheet · 1:125,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Ranchos de Taos.
Famous people
Famous people close to Ranchos de Taos
Nobody well known was born in Ranchos de Taos itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
Ranchos de Taos is more historic than 62% of U.S. towns, #14 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 Ranchos de Taos?
Three places: the San Francisco de Assisi Mission Church (listed 1970), the Ranchos de Taos Plaza (1978) and the Molino de los Duranes (2020).
How old are the homes in Ranchos de Taos?
4% of Ranchos de Taos’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.0 points), against a typical 2.3% for a New Mexico town; the median home was built in 1978.
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 (2), the National Register of Historic Places (3), 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.
★ Landmark
2017
2004
