More historic than 13% of U.S. towns · #21 of 42 in Nevada. What drives it
Most of Pahrump was built recently: 0.1% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2000. Below: maps from 1958 on and the census since 1990.
The Pahrump post office opened in 1891, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Manse (1891), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 7,424 in 19902020 census: 44,738135 years
How historic is Pahrump?
D
More historic than 13% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Pahrump post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Pahrump’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Pahrump is more historic than 13% of U.S. towns, #21 of 42 in Nevada. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Pahrump’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 Pahrump’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.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to C−. The pre-1940 share (±0.2 points) is firm at this size. 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 Pahrump’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Pahrump was originally inhabited by the Southern Paiute. It was slowly inhabited by settlers in the late 19th century. They reportedly chose the name for Pahrump after the original Southern Paiute name Pah-Rimpi, or "Water Rock," so named because of the abundant artesian wells in the valley. Because of the development of those wells, recent inhabitants of Pahrump Valley established a number of large ranch-style holdings, mostly over 1,000 acres (400 ha) in size. On the ranches, alfalfa and cotton were grown, and livestock were raised.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Pahrump. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1958Pahrump sheet · 1:62,500
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Pahrump.
People over time
Pahrump, census by census
Grew from 7,424 people in 1990 to 44,738 in 2020, 6 times over.
4 censuses, 1990–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Pahrump’s Wikipedia page.
Places that used to be
Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds
Pahrump’s post office has been open since 1891. Another post office, Manse, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Manse
1891–1914
Pahrump
1891–today
18901960today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Manse
Gone or out of use
Chicken Ranch AirportairportHidden Hills AirportairportManse Post Officepost officePahrump Landing Stripairport
1cemetery inside Pahrump
Chief Tecopa
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Pahrump’s history
What year was Pahrump founded?
The Pahrump post office opened in 1891, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Pahrump rank for history?
Pahrump is more historic than 13% of U.S. towns, #21 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 Pahrump?
0.1% of Pahrump’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 0.3% for a Nevada town; the median home was built in 2000.
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 (31), Wikipedia, 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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