Elko dates to 1868, and 3 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 48% of U.S. towns · #10 of 42 in Nevada. What drives it
Most of Elko was built recently: 9% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1988. Its Register listings are the Ruby Valley Pony Express Station, the US Post Office-Elko Main and the Elko County Courthouse. Below: 17 old photos and papers, maps from 1885 on, and the census since 1870.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1869.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Elko’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Elko is more historic than 48% of U.S. towns, #10 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 Elko’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 Elko’s 1.4 sits above most of its state (68% of Nevada towns have fewer) while its 3 listings outnumber those of 65% 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 (±2.1 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1868.
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 Elko’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Lost a third of its people between 1870 and 1880, then grew more than tenfold.
16 censuses, 1870–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Elko’s Wikipedia page.
Every building
Elko, building by building, 1885–1912
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.
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.
Though Elko lies along the route of the historic California Trail, its roots as a town date only back to its establishment in 1868 by settlers, when it was at the east end of the railroad tracks built by the Central Pacific Railroad (the portion of the First transcontinental railroad built from California to Utah). When the railroad crews moved on, Elko remained, serving as a center for ranching, mining, rail freight, and general supplies.
Elko is said to have been named by Charles Crocker, a superintendent of the Central Pacific Railroad. He was fond of animal names and added the letter "o" to Elk. There is no definitive evidence of this naming history, but it has become the widely accepted version.
In 1868, according to Wikidata. Elko’s post office opened in 1869, and the census of 1870 counted 1,160 people here.
How does Elko rank for history?
Elko is more historic than 48% of U.S. towns, #10 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 Elko?
Three places: the Ruby Valley Pony Express Station (listed 1975), the US Post Office-Elko Main (1990) and the Elko County Courthouse (1992).
How old are the homes in Elko?
9% of Elko’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.1 points), against a typical 0.3% for a Nevada town; the median home was built in 1988.
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 (4), the Library of Congress (13), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (3), 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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