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DHistory
History · Syracuse

Syracuse dates to 1878

More historic than 14% of U.S. towns · #94 of 119 in Utah. What drives it

Most of Syracuse was built recently: 1% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2005. Below: maps from 1955 on and the census since 1890.

1878founded
0on the National Register
1%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Ntsimp · Public domain
Quick answers

How Syracuse began

When was Syracuse founded?

1878

Syracuse dates its founding to 1878 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1890.

First census: 299 in 18902020 census: 32,141148 years

How historic is Syracuse?

D

More historic than 14% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1891.
History grade

What drives Syracuse’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Syracuse is more historic than 14% of U.S. towns, #94 of 119 in Utah. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Syracuse’s overall grade.
Founding era1878, from Wikidata: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 19401.0% of homes (±0.7) · typical UT town 2.8% · U.S. 8.4%DNational RegisterNo listings counted · typical UT town 3.0 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 14%
NewerOlder
Utah towns of 2,500+ (119)Ahead of 21%

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 Syracuse’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.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would still be D. The pre-1940 share (±0.7 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1878.

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 Syracuse’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Syracuse are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Lost villages13 hamlets and corners are still on the map.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Syracuse’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds

Syracuse had its own post office from 1891 to 1905.

Syracuse
1891–1905
18901960today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Allison AcresBarnesBluff RoadCountry CrossingGrants LaneKristalyn GardensRanchettes WestRhoades LaneShimada AcresSmedley AcresSundial ParkVilla VistaWest Sunset View Estates
1cemetery inside Syracuse
Syracuse

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

The story so far

Syracuse, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Syracuse yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Syracuse is a city in Davis County, Utah, United States. It is situated between the Great Salt Lake and Interstate 15, about 30 miles (48 km) north of Salt Lake City. The West Davis Corridor (Utah State Route 177) runs northwest through Syracuse, with interchanges at 2000 West and Antelope Drive (SR-127). It is part of the Ogden–Clearfield Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city has seen rapid growth and development since the 1990s. The city population was 24,331 at the time of the 2010 census, an increase of 158.9% since the 2000 census. By the 2020 census, the population further increased to 32,141. Although white settlers have inhabited the area since the mid-1800s, the Syracuse Town Boa…

Syracuse was established in 1878. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 24,331 to 32,141 (+32%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

Timeline

Syracuse, 1878 to 1955

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1878
    FoundingSyracuse is established
  3. 1891Post officeThe Syracuse post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1905Post officeThe Syracuse post office closes
  6. 1955On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Syracuse, decade by decade

Today7 recent
Engaged In the Desert (Unsplash)2017Engaged In the Desert (Unsplash)Elevations RTC Facility in Syracuse, Utah Cropped2015Elevations RTC Facility in Syracuse, Utah CroppedDriving on coastal road on Antelope Island (Unsplash)2015Driving on coastal road on Antelope Island (Unsplash)Syracuse, Utah2014Syracuse, UtahSunset on the Great Salt Lake2014Sunset on the Great Salt LakeBuffalo grazing in tall grass2010Buffalo grazing in tall grassBison on Antelope Island2010Bison on Antelope Island
On the map

Syracuse on the map, 1955 to 1991

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

Syracuse on the 1955 USGS mapSyracuse on the 1972 USGS mapSyracuse on the 1991 USGS map1955Clearfield 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 Syracuse.

People over time

Syracuse, census by census

05,00010,00015,00020,00025,00030,00035,000190019201940196019802000202032,141

Grew from 299 people in 1890 to 32,141 in 2020, more than tenfold.

14 censuses, 1890–2020.

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

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

ClearfieldIts storyC−West Point1 historic placeC

Questions about Syracuse’s history

What year was Syracuse founded?

In 1878, according to Wikidata. Syracuse’s post office opened in 1891, and the census of 1890 counted 299 people here.

How does Syracuse rank for history?

Syracuse is more historic than 14% of U.S. towns, #94 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 Syracuse?

1% of Syracuse’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 2.8% for an Utah town; the median home was built in 2005.

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 (7), 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.