Clinton’s post office opened in 1829, and 22% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 94% of U.S. towns · #40 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it
6 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 276 buildings between them. Below: 9 old photos and papers, maps from 1886 on, and the census since 1870.
The Clinton post office opened in 1829, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1865. Two smaller post offices, Hunt's Mills (1816) and Clinton Station (1859), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 785 in 18702020 census: 2,773197 years
How historic is Clinton?
A
More historic than 94% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Clinton post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1865.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Clinton’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Clinton is more historic than 94% of U.S. towns, #40 of 468 in New Jersey. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Clinton’s overall grade.
New Jersey towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical New Jersey town has 3.7 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Clinton’s 1,004 sits above most of its state (97% of New Jersey towns have fewer) while its 280 historic buildings outnumber those of 95% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±5.2 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata gives 1865.
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 Clinton’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
On the map
Clinton on the map, 1890 to 1970
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Clinton. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1890High Bridge sheet · 1:62,500
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Clinton.
Every building
Clinton, building by building, 1886–1921
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.
1886Sheet 1 of 1
Edition
Sheets
BrickWoodStone
Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
When the Clinton post office was established in 1829, it was named for DeWitt Clinton, Governor of New York and the primary impetus behind the then-newly completed Erie Canal.
Clinton was incorporated as a town by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 5, 1865, within portions of Clinton, Franklin and Union Townships. Clinton gained full independence from its three parent townships in 1895.
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.
The Clinton post office opened in 1829, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1865.
How does Clinton rank for history?
Clinton is more historic than 94% of U.S. towns, #40 of 468 in New Jersey. 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 Clinton?
6 listings: 4 buildings, among them the David McKinney Mill (listed 1974, the first), and 2 historic districts, the Mulligan, M. C., & Sons Quarry and the Clinton Historic District, with 276 contributing buildings. 280 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Clinton?
22% of Clinton’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.2 points), against a typical 15% for a New Jersey town; the median home was built in 1978.
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 (2), the Library of Congress (8), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (6), 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), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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