Most of Paradise was built recently: 9% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1991. Its Register listings are the Paradise Tithing Office and the John P. and Sarah James House. Below: maps from 1955 on and the census since 1870.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Paradise is more historic than 50% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Paradise’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 Paradise’s 29.5 sits above most of its state (77% of Utah towns have fewer) while its 2 listings outnumber those of 60% 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 is a Census survey estimate (±6.3 points). Two sources give 1860.
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 Paradise’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Lost half of its people between 1900 and 1960, then more than doubled.
16 censuses, 1870–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Paradise’s Wikipedia page.
The story so far
Paradise, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Paradise yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Paradise is a town located in the southern part of Cache County, Utah, United States. The population was 971 at the 2020 census. It is included in the Logan, Utah-Idaho Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Paradise was established in 1860. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 904 to 971 (+7%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Paradise, 1860 to 2020
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
In 1860, according to Wikidata. Paradise’s post office opened in 1864, and the census of 1870 counted 346 people here.
How does Paradise rank for history?
Paradise is more historic than 50% of U.S. towns. 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 Paradise?
Two places: the Paradise Tithing Office (listed 1985) and the John P. and Sarah James House (1994).
How old are the homes in Paradise?
9% of Paradise’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.3 points), against a typical 2.8% for an Utah town; the median home was built in 1991.
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 (2), 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.
