East Hanover Township dates to 1928, and 3 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 37% of U.S. towns · #366 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it
Most of East Hanover Township was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1976. 3 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 56 buildings. Below: maps from 1888 on and the census since 1930.
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1806.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives East Hanover Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, East Hanover Township is more historic than 37% of U.S. towns, #366 of 468 in New Jersey. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of East Hanover Township’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 East Hanover Township’s 52.0 sits above most of its state (81% of New Jersey towns have fewer) while its 58 historic buildings outnumber those of 86% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to B. The pre-1940 share (±2.9 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1928.
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 East Hanover Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of East Hanover Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1888Morristown 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 East Hanover Township.
On the National Register
3 listings protect 58 historic buildings
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
The Township of Hanover was established on December 7, 1720, and named in honor of the British King George I of the German dynastic House of Hanover. The boundaries of East Hanover are defined by the joining of two rivers, the Whippany River to the west and north and the Passaic River to the east and north. This geographic effect led to the early name of East Hanover, "Hanover Neck." Since the creation of Hanover Township in 1720, its size has been considerably decreased as the population of the area has increased. Originally encompassing large portions of Morris County and parts of both Sussex and Warren County, Hanover Township became too unwieldy for a single local government and municipalities split off from the township over time.
In 1928, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. East Hanover Township’s post office opened in 1806, and the census of 1930 counted 946 people here.
How does East Hanover Township rank for history?
East Hanover Township is more historic than 37% of U.S. towns, #366 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 East Hanover Township?
Three places: the Ellis Cook House (listed 1975), the First Presbyterian Church of Hanover (1977) and the Hanover Village Historic District (1993).
How old are the homes in East Hanover Township?
5% of East Hanover Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.9 points), against a typical 15% for a New Jersey town; the median home was built in 1976.
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 Wikidata (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.
