Grantsville dates to 1848, and 8 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 73% of U.S. towns · #11 of 119 in Utah. What drives it
Most of Grantsville was built recently: 8% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1999. Below: maps from 1955 on and the census since 1860.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1864.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Grantsville’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Grantsville is more historic than 73% of U.S. towns, #11 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 Grantsville’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 Grantsville’s 16.0 sits above most of its state (71% of Utah towns have fewer) while its 23 historic buildings outnumber those of 80% 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 (±3.2 points). Two sources give 1848.
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 Grantsville’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The area of Grantsville was originally populated by the Goshute tribe.
Grantsville was originally called "Willow Creek", and has also been called "Twenty Wells" due to the natural wells that give fresh water to the area. Grantsville was settled by Mormon pioneers in 1850, with the arrival of the brothers-in-law James McBride and Harrison Severe, with their wives and families. The present name, after Col. George D. Grant, a leader in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was adopted c. 1853. A post office called Grantsville has been in operation since 1864.
In 1848, according to Wikidata. Grantsville’s post office opened in 1864, and the census of 1860 counted 451 people here.
How does Grantsville rank for history?
Grantsville is more historic than 73% of U.S. towns, #11 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 Grantsville?
8 listings: 8 buildings, among them the Grantsville First Ward Meetinghouse (listed 1982, the first). 23 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Grantsville?
8% of Grantsville’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.2 points), against a typical 2.8% for an Utah town; the median home was built in 1999.
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 Wikidata (3), 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) 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.
