Santaquin dates to 1851, and 1 of its places is on the National Register
More historic than 28% of U.S. towns · #71 of 119 in Utah. What drives it
Most of Santaquin was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2009. Its Register listing is the Santaquin Junior High School. Below: maps from 1951 on and the census since 1860.
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1856.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Santaquin’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Santaquin is more historic than 28% of U.S. towns, #71 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 Santaquin’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 Santaquin’s 0.6 sits near the middle of its state (41% of Utah towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to C. The pre-1940 share (±1.9 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1851.
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 Santaquin’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Santaquin, one of the early settlements along the Salt Lake Road, was originally settled in late 1851. It was originally named Summit City because of its location near the summit of the divide between Utah Valley and Juab Valley. Summit City was settled by pioneers who were helping settle nearby Payson to the north. In 1856 it was renamed "Santaquin" for the son of Guffich, a local native chieftain friendly to the settlers. Santaquin incorporated as a town in the 1890s and changed to a city effective January 4, 1932.
In 1851, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Santaquin’s post office opened in 1856, and the census of 1860 counted 158 people here.
How does Santaquin rank for history?
Santaquin is more historic than 28% of U.S. towns, #71 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 Santaquin?
One place: the Santaquin Junior High School (listed 1985).
How old are the homes in Santaquin?
4% of Santaquin’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 2009.
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 (12), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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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