West Jordan dates to 1849, and 3 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 42% of U.S. towns · #53 of 119 in Utah. What drives it
Most of West Jordan was built recently: 0.2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1995. Its Register listings are the Gardner Mill, the West Jordan Ward Meetinghouse and the Ernest and Sadie Cushing House. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1951 on, and the census since 1950.
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1864.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives West Jordan’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, West Jordan is more historic than 42% of U.S. towns, #53 of 119 in Utah. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of West Jordan’s overall grade.
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, West Jordan ranks #260 on History.
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 Jordan’s 0.3 sits near the middle of its state (37% of Utah towns have fewer) while its 4 historic buildings outnumber those of 68% of U.S. towns.
Newer cities are common at West Jordan’s size: in the typical U.S. city of 100,000 or more, 5% of homes predate 1940.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to B+. The pre-1940 share (±0.1 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1849.
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 Jordan’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
West Jordan received its name from Mormon settlers who entered the Salt Lake Valley in 1847 under the leadership of their prophet, Brigham Young. These first European-Americans named the river flowing west of their first settlement, Salt Lake City, the Western Jordan, a reference to the River Jordan in Jordan. The name was later simplified to "Jordan River". Like its Middle Eastern namesake, the Jordan River flows from a fresh water lake (Utah Lake) to an inland salt sea (Great Salt Lake). West Jordan was founded around 1849 on the western banks of the Jordan River.
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 1849, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. West Jordan’s post office opened in 1864, and the census of 1950 counted 2,107 people here.
How does West Jordan rank for history?
West Jordan is more historic than 42% of U.S. towns, #53 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 West Jordan?
Three places: the Gardner Mill (listed 1982), the West Jordan Ward Meetinghouse (1995) and the Ernest and Sadie Cushing House (1996).
How old are the homes in West Jordan?
0.2% of West Jordan’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 2.8% for an Utah town; the median home was built in 1995.
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 (5), the Library of Congress (1), the National Register of Historic Places (3), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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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