More historic than 4% of U.S. towns · #36 of 42 in Nevada. What drives it
Most of Henderson was built recently: 0.3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2001. Below: 12 old photos and papers, maps from 1952 on, and the census since 1950.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1942.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Henderson’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Henderson is more historic than 4% of U.S. towns, #36 of 42 in Nevada. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
D−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Henderson’s overall grade.
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Henderson ranks #383 on History.
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 Henderson’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (29% of Nevada towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
Newer cities are common at Henderson’s size: in the typical U.S. city of 100,000 or more, 5% of homes predate 1940.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D− to D. The pre-1940 share (±0.2 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1941.
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 Henderson’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 the fall of 1917, manganese ore along with other metals were found at the site of the Three Kids Mine, a now-defunct mine adjacent to the Lake Las Vegas area 8 miles (13 km) northwest of Boulder City and 15 miles (24 km) southeast of Las Vegas. Mining would continue intermittently until the mine was officially closed in 1961.
Instead, there were clusters of Hoovervilles scattered throughout the area with a variety of names. Pittman, the most prominent settlement of what would become Henderson, still exists today —though not incorporated nor a city—was the most prominent of the settlements and is currently known, many of which remain neighborhood names today.
In 1941, according to Wikidata. Henderson’s post office opened in 1942, and the census of 1950 counted 3,643 people here.
How does Henderson rank for history?
Henderson is more historic than 4% of U.S. towns, #36 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.
How old are the homes in Henderson?
0.3% of Henderson’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 0.3% for a Nevada town; the median home was built in 2001.
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 (1), the Library of Congress (11), 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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