American Fork dates to 1850, and 15 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 50% of U.S. towns · #40 of 119 in Utah. What drives it
Most of American Fork was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1998. 15 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 104 buildings. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1890 on, and the census since 1870.
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1851.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives American Fork’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, American Fork is more historic than 50% of U.S. towns, #40 of 119 in Utah. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of American Fork’s overall grade.
Utah towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Utah town has 3.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so American Fork’s 34.0 sits above most of its state (80% of Utah towns have fewer) while its 126 historic buildings outnumber those of 91% 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 (±1.2 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1850.
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 American Fork’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The area around Utah Lake was used as a seasonal hunting and fishing ground by the Ute Indians. American Fork was settled in 1850 by Mormon pioneers and incorporated as Lake City in 1852. The first settlers were Arza Adams, followed by Stephen Chipman (grandfather of Stephen L. Chipman, a prominent citizen around the start of the 20th Century), Ira Eldredge, John Eldredge and their families.
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.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of American Fork. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1951Lehi 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 American Fork.
Every building
American Fork, building by building, 1890–1908
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.
In 1850, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. American Fork’s post office opened in 1851, and the census of 1870 counted 1,115 people here.
How does American Fork rank for history?
American Fork is more historic than 50% of U.S. towns, #40 of 119 in Utah. 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 American Fork?
15 listings: 12 buildings, among them the Warren B. Smith House (listed 1979, the first), 1 historic district, the American Fork Historic District, with 104 contributing buildings, and 2 structures. 126 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in American Fork?
4% of American Fork’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.2 points), against a typical 2.8% for an Utah town; the median home was built in 1998.
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 (8), Wikidata (10), the National Register of Historic Places (15), 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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