More historic than 36% of U.S. towns · #60 of 119 in Utah. What drives it
Most of South Ogden was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1979. Below: maps from 1955 on and the census since 1940.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, South Ogden is more historic than 36% of U.S. towns, #60 of 119 in Utah. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of South Ogden’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 South Ogden’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (18% of Utah towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1848.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to B−. The pre-1940 share (±1.8 points) is firm at this size.
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 South Ogden’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The area was settled by members of the Mormon pioneers. Daniel Burch and his family arrived in Brownsville (Ogden) in 1848. Burch came from Kentucky with the Lorenzo Snow company of Utah pioneers. In 1850 the area was named Burch Creek in his honor. In 1852 the Weber Canal was built and Burch built a gristmill near its source in what is now Riverdale.
The Ogden City Council founded a six-room isolation facility for smallpox patients in Burch Creek in 1882. The area was a farming community with several dairy farms. There was little development until 1890 when extensive investments in land, both residential and commercial, took place.
In 1848, according to Wikidata. the census of 1940 counted 1,407 people here.
How does South Ogden rank for history?
South Ogden is more historic than 36% of U.S. towns, #60 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.
How old are the homes in South Ogden?
4% of South Ogden’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.8 points), against a typical 2.8% for an Utah town; the median home was built in 1979.
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), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) 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.
2010
