More historic than 4% of U.S. towns · #106 of 119 in Utah. What drives it
Most of West Haven was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2011. Below: maps from 1955 on and the census since 1990.
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1883.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives West Haven’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, West Haven is more historic than 4% of U.S. towns, #106 of 119 in Utah. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
D−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of West Haven’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 West Haven’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 range from D− to D. The pre-1940 share (±1.5 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1991.
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 West Haven’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first settlers in what would become Kanesville arrived in 1868. At the time the area was known as Northwest Hooper.
Kanesville was named for Thomas L. Kane. The name Kanesville was adopted when The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints first organized a ward there in 1882. The first bishop was Peter B. Peterson.
The name is retained by Kanesville School, a K-6 school in West Haven. Until October 2010 the Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the city was the Kanesville Utah Stake. On October 17, 2010, the Kanesville Utah Stake was divided and a new stake, the West Haven Utah Stake, was formed. The old stake retained the Kanesville name.
In 1991, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. West Haven’s post office opened in 1883, and the census of 1990 counted 2,172 people here.
How does West Haven rank for history?
West Haven is more historic than 4% of U.S. towns, #106 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 West Haven?
3% of West Haven’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.5 points), against a typical 2.8% for an Utah town; the median home was built in 2011.
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), 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.
2007
