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B−History
History · Providence

Providence dates to 1859, and 3 of its places are on the National Register

More historic than 54% of U.S. towns · #34 of 119 in Utah. What drives it

Most of Providence was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2000. 3 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 207 buildings. Below: maps from 1961 on and the census since 1870.

1859founded
3on the National Register
4%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Quick answers

How Providence began

When was Providence founded?

1859

Providence dates its founding to 1859 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1870.

First census: 481 in 18702020 census: 8,218167 years

How historic is Providence?

B−

More historic than 54% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1861.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Providence’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Providence is more historic than 54% of U.S. towns, #34 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 Providence’s overall grade.
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 54%
NewerOlder
Utah towns of 2,500+ (119)Ahead of 72%

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 Providence’s 234 sits above most of its state (95% of Utah towns have fewer) while its 209 historic buildings outnumber those of 93% 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 (±1.9 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1859.

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 Providence’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

★ What stands out · On the National Register

3 listings protect 209 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
3
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
209
each building in a district counts
first listed
1982
Providence LDS Chapel and Meetinghouse
BuildingsDistricts

Architectural styles listings

Colonial Revival3
Greek Revival2
Gothic Revival1
Victorian Eclectic1
Victorian Gothic1
Queen Anne1
All 3 listings

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Help out

Start Providence’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Providence’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
The story

How Providence came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Providence.

Read it all →

Providence lies 2.5 miles (4.0 km) south of Logan on former State Route 238. Its 1990 census population was 3,344. Situated immediately east of the confluence of Spring Creek with the Logan River, the town lies astride a delta at the mouth of Providence Canyon and beneath 8,881-foot (2,707 m) Big Baldy Mountain. The settlement was located on Spring Creek to take advantage of water, arable land, timber resources, and existing trails.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Providence, 1859 to 1961

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1859
    FoundingProvidence is established
  3. 1861Post officeThe Providence post office opens
  4. 1868Born hereAlfred Budge is born here
  5. 20th century
  6. 1909BuiltFerdinand Zollinger Jr. House is built
  7. 1961On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Providence, decade by decade

On the map

Providence on the map, 1961 to 1998

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Providence. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Providence on the 1961 USGS mapProvidence on the 1986 USGS mapProvidence on the 1998 USGS map1961Logan 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 Providence.

People over time

Providence, census by census

02,0004,0006,0008,000188019001920194019601980200020208,218

Grew from 481 people in 1870 to 8,218 in 2020, more than tenfold.

16 censuses, 1870–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Providence’s Wikipedia page.

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Questions about Providence’s history

What year was Providence founded?

In 1859, according to Wikidata. Providence’s post office opened in 1861, and the census of 1870 counted 481 people here.

How does Providence rank for history?

Providence is more historic than 54% of U.S. towns, #34 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 Providence?

Three places: the Providence LDS Chapel and Meetinghouse (listed 1982), the Ferdinand Zollinger Jr. House (1992) and the Providence Historic District (2007).

How old are the homes in Providence?

4% of Providence’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.9 points), against a typical 2.8% for an Utah town; the median home was built in 2000.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

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 (2), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (3), 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.