Roswell dates to 1869, and 13 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 58% of U.S. towns · #18 of 73 in New Mexico. What drives it
Most of Roswell was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1968. 13 places in town are on the National Register, among them three historic districts with 352 buildings between them. Below: 9 old photos and papers, maps from 1900 on, and the census since 1900.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1873.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Roswell’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Roswell is more historic than 58% of U.S. towns, #18 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 Roswell’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 Roswell’s 76.6 sits above most of its state (90% of New Mexico towns have fewer) while its 365 historic buildings outnumber those of 96% 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 (±1.4 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1869.
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 Roswell’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
Roswell, building by building, 1900–1921
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.
The first settlers were a group of pioneers from Missouri, who attempted to start a settlement 15 miles (24 km) southwest of what is now Roswell in 1865, but were forced to abandon the site because of a lack of water. It was called Missouri Plaza. It also had many Hispanic people from Lincoln, New Mexico. John Chisum had his famous Jingle Bob Ranch about 5 miles (8 km) from the center of Roswell, at South Spring Acres. At the time, it was the largest ranch in the United States.
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 1869, according to Wikidata. Roswell’s post office opened in 1873, and the census of 1900 counted 2,049 people here.
How does Roswell rank for history?
Roswell is more historic than 58% of U.S. towns, #18 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 Roswell?
13 listings: 9 buildings, among them the James Phelps White House (listed 1978, the first), 3 historic districts, the New Mexico Military Institute Historic District, the Downtown Roswell Historic District and the Roswell Artist-in-Residence Compound, with 352 contributing buildings, and 1 structure. 365 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Roswell?
6% of Roswell’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.4 points), against a typical 2.3% for a New Mexico town; the median home was built in 1968.
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 (2), Wikidata (3), the National Register of Historic Places (13), 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.
1909
1909
1917
1917
1932
1935
