Meriden’s post office opened in 1806, and 27% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 79% of U.S. towns · #96 of 155 in Connecticut. What drives it
12 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 31 buildings. Below: 8 old photos and papers, maps from 1884 on, and the census since 1820.
The Meriden post office opened in 1806, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1867. Another post office, South Meriden (1868), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
First census: 1,309 in 18202020 census: 60,850220 years
How did Meriden get its name?
Meriden was named for the village of Meriden, West Midlands, England, near Birmingham.
How historic is Meriden?
A−
More historic than 79% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Meriden is more historic than 79% of U.S. towns, #96 of 155 in Connecticut. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Meriden’s overall grade.
Connecticut towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Connecticut town has 73.3 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Meriden’s 8.6 sits below most of its state (9% of Connecticut towns have fewer) while its 52 historic buildings outnumber those of 85% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B to A. The pre-1940 share (±2.5 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata gives 1867.
Founding year: the first post office (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 Meriden’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Meriden was originally a part of the neighboring town of Wallingford. It was granted a separate meetinghouse in 1727, became a town in 1806 with over 1,000 residents. Meriden was incorporated as a city in 1867, with just under 9,000 residents. It was once proposed as the Connecticut state capital. It was named for the village of Meriden, West Midlands, England, near Birmingham.
The oldest house in town, the Solomon Goffe House, was built by Solomon Goffe in 1711, and became a museum in 1986.
Passages that mention Meriden, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Centennial of Meriden, June 10-16, 19061906 · page 292Read the page →
Read the text
persons ; ,that the said Town of Meriden shall repair and when necessary build the bridge of which one-half is within the limits of said Town of Wallingford, across Wallingford river so called, known and called by the name of Falls Plain Bridge, at the cost and expense of said Town of Meriden ; That all col-
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Centennial of Meriden, June 10-16, 19061906 · page 375Read the page →
Read the text
[Trumbull in New York Herald.] The town of Meriden is one of the most enterprising and progressive towns in the whole state. When it was originally set off from the town of Wallingford, in order that those who lived in the Meriden parish might come the more surely into what was called their
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Timeline
Meriden, 1798 to 1951
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
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.
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
The Meriden post office opened in 1806, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1867.
How does Meriden rank for history?
Meriden is more historic than 79% of U.S. towns, #96 of 155 in Connecticut. 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 Meriden?
12 listings: 9 buildings, among them the Moses Andrews House (listed 1978, the first), 1 historic district, the Colony Street-West Main Street Historic District, with 31 contributing buildings, 1 site, and 1 structure. 52 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Meriden?
27% of Meriden’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.5 points), against a typical 15% for a Connecticut town; the median home was built in 1960.
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 (6), the Library of Congress (2), Wikidata (4), the National Register of Historic Places (12), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
![[Trumbull in New York Herald.] The town of Meriden is one of the most enterprising and progressive towns in the whole state. When it was originally set off from the town of Wallingford, in order that those who lived in the Meriden parish might come the more surely into what was called their](https://images.townratings.com/story/1979/bk-3efac8bc4976ec20-l.jpg)
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