Riverton dates to 1870, and 4 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 34% of U.S. towns · #61 of 119 in Utah. What drives it
Most of Riverton was built recently: 0.6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2001. 4 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 30 buildings. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1951 on, and the census since 1950.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1892.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Riverton’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Riverton is more historic than 34% of U.S. towns, #61 of 119 in Utah. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
C
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Riverton’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 Riverton’s 7.5 sits near the middle of its state (62% of Utah towns have fewer) while its 34 historic buildings outnumber those of 82% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to B. The pre-1940 share (±0.4 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1870.
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 Riverton’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Located in the southern end of Salt Lake Valley, the area that is now Riverton was first settled by people of European descent in the mid-1850s. These early settlers scattered widely along the river bottom in crude dugout homes. Although the early accounts disagree, Archibald Gardner may have been the first to settle Riverton land. The town was originally referred to as “Gardnerville” prior to changing its name to Riverton. Riverton's initial growth was slow because of the lack of water for irrigation. When more water became available, the town began to grow. Eventually three canals were built to extend water from the nearby Jordan River to the benchland areas, providing irrigation for agricultural uses to the larger area.
In 1870, according to Wikidata. Riverton’s post office opened in 1892, and the census of 1950 counted 1,666 people here.
How does Riverton rank for history?
Riverton is more historic than 34% of U.S. towns, #61 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 Riverton?
4 listings: 3 buildings, among them the Draper-Steadman House (listed 1992, the first), and 1 historic district, the Riverton Historic District, with 30 contributing buildings. 34 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Riverton?
0.6% of Riverton’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 2.8% for an Utah town; the median home was built in 2001.
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 (14), the Library of Congress (1), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (4), 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.
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