Santa Clara dates to 1854, and 8 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 36% of U.S. towns · #59 of 119 in Utah. What drives it
Most of Santa Clara was built recently: 1% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2004. Below: 4 old photos and papers, maps from 1986 on, and the census since 1880.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1859.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Santa Clara’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Santa Clara is more historic than 36% of U.S. towns, #59 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 Santa Clara’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 Santa Clara’s 12.3 sits above most of its state (69% of Utah towns have fewer) while its 10 historic buildings outnumber those of 76% 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 (±1.7 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1854.
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 Santa Clara’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
In 1854, Jacob Hamblin (1819–1886), was called by Latter-day Saint patriarch Brigham Young (1801–1877), in the capital city of Salt Lake City, to serve a mission to the southern Paiute native areas of the recently organized old federal Utah Territory (1850–1896), and settled in the southwestern corner then of the Territory at Santa Clara, in the vicinity of the modern city of St. George, Utah. The town is among the oldest in the area and the state.
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.
In 1854, according to Wikidata. Santa Clara’s post office opened in 1859, and the census of 1880 counted 194 people here.
How does Santa Clara rank for history?
Santa Clara is more historic than 36% of U.S. towns, #59 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 Santa Clara?
8 listings: 8 buildings, among them the Jacob Hamblin House (listed 1971, the first). 10 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Santa Clara?
1% of Santa Clara’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.7 points), against a typical 2.8% for an Utah town; the median home was built in 2004.
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 (1), the Library of Congress (3), Wikidata (8), the National Register of Historic Places (8), Wikipedia, 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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