Boulder City dates to 1930, and 2 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 51% of U.S. towns · #5 of 42 in Nevada. What drives it
Most of Boulder City was built recently: 9% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1981. 2 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 408 buildings. Below: 8 old photos and papers, maps from 1958 on, and the census since 1950.
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1931.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Boulder City’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Boulder City is more historic than 51% of U.S. towns, #5 of 42 in Nevada. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Boulder City’s overall grade.
Few Nevada towns list much on the Register (a typical Nevada town has 0.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Boulder City’s 274 sits above most of its state (100% of Nevada towns have fewer) while its 409 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 A−. The pre-1940 share (±2.2 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1930.
Founding year: Wikipedia (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 Boulder City’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The land upon which Boulder City was founded was a harsh, desert environment. Its sole reason for existence was the need to house workers contracted to build the Hoover Dam on the Colorado River (known commonly as Boulder Dam from 1933 to 1947, when it was officially renamed Hoover Dam by a joint resolution of Congress). Men hoping for work on the dam project had begun settling along the river in tents soon after the precise site for the dam had been chosen by the Bureau of Reclamation in 1930. Their ramshackle edifices were collectively known as "Ragtown".
Boulder City was originally built in 1931 by the Bureau of Reclamation and Six Companies, Inc. as housing for workers who were building the Hoover Dam.
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 1930, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Boulder City’s post office opened in 1931, and the census of 1950 counted 3,903 people here.
How does Boulder City rank for history?
Boulder City is more historic than 51% of U.S. towns, #5 of 42 in Nevada. 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 Boulder City?
Two places: the Boulder Dam Hotel (listed 1982) and the Boulder City Historic District (1983).
How old are the homes in Boulder City?
9% of Boulder City’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.2 points), against a typical 0.3% for a Nevada town; the median home was built in 1981.
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 (11), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (2), 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) 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.
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