Ely’s post office opened in 1878, and 25% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 81% of U.S. towns · #1 of 42 in Nevada. What drives it
8 places in town are on the National Register, among them 2 National Historic Landmarks and a historic district with 88 buildings. Below: 15 old photos and papers, maps from 1907 on, and the census since 1890.
The Ely post office opened in 1878, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, East Ely (1908), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
First census: 203 in 18902020 census: 3,924148 years
How historic is Ely?
A−
More historic than 81% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Ely post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Ely’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Ely is more historic than 81% of U.S. towns, #1 of 42 in Nevada. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Ely’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 Ely’s 242 sits above most of its state (97% of Nevada towns have fewer) while its 95 historic buildings outnumber those of 89% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±7.0 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (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 Ely’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
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 1878, Vermont resident J. W. Long came to White Pine County and soon set up a camp known as "Ely", after discovering gold. The name "Ely" has been credited to several possible origins: Long's hometown of Ely, Vermont; a New York Congressman with the surname Ely, who sent Long as a representative according to local historians; Smith Ely, a Vermont native who financed one of the city's early mineral operations; and John Ely, an Illinois native who came to Nevada for mining.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Ely. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1958Ely sheet · 1:24,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Ely.
Every building
Ely, building by building, 1907–1912
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.
The Ely post office opened in 1878, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Ely rank for history?
Ely is more historic than 81% of U.S. towns, #1 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 Ely?
8 listings, 2 of them National Historic Landmarks: 7 buildings, among them the East Ely Depot (a National Historic Landmark since 2006), and 1 historic district, the Nevada Northern Railway East Ely Yards and Shops, with 88 contributing buildings. 95 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Ely?
25% of Ely’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.0 points), against a typical 0.3% for a Nevada town; the median home was built in 1958.
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), the Library of Congress (4), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (8), 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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