Leonia dates to 1668, and 41% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 96% of U.S. towns · #30 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it
Its Register listings are the Civil War Drill Hall and Armory, the Vreeland House and the Cole-Allaire House. Below: 5 old photos and papers, maps from 1897 on, and the census since 1900.
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1868.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Leonia’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Leonia is more historic than 96% of U.S. towns, #30 of 468 in New Jersey. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its age ranks highest and its National Register listings lowest.
A+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Leonia’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 Leonia’s 5.4 sits near the middle of its state (57% of New Jersey towns have fewer) while its 5 historic buildings outnumber those of 70% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikipedia alone; no second source gives 1668.
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 (±6.7 points).
Founding year: Wikipedia (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 Leonia’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Leonia's original inhabitants were the Hackensack tribe (Ashkineshacky) of Native Americans. The population was about 1,000 before the Europeans settled in the area. At the time of the American Revolutionary War, Leonia was known as part of the English Neighborhood, a name that survives in neighboring Englewood. It was settled in 1668 mainly by Dutch and English farmers, making it one of the oldest communities in the state. A third of the population was African slaves. It was on the western slope of the Palisades, and started as a quiet farming community. Leonia's proximity to New York City and its major universities, theaters, and performing venues contributed to its place in the world of art and academics, with many artists and leading thinkers living there in the 20th century.
Passages that mention Leonia, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Bergen county, New Jersey1900 · page 490Read the page →
Read the text
as early in this direction. Overpeck Creek is navigable for small vessels as far up as the nothern boundary of the township. Originally the township of Ridgefield included the villages of Fairview, Ridgefield, Palisades Park, Leonia, Nordhoff, Shady Side, Edgewater, Fort Lee, Taylorsville, Coytesville, Ridgefield Park and Bogota, but now the boroughs of Undercliff, Palisades Park, Bogota, Leonia, Fairview, Ridgefield and the village of Ridgefield Park and Overpeck township have been taken away leaving but a small portion of the
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Bergen county, New Jersey1900 · page 577Read the page →
Read the text
He served on the Board of Examiners for teachers' certificates in Bergen county, for a term of three years, having been appointed by superintendent John Terhune, and also served four years as assessor of borough of Leonia. In 1888 he was appointed by Collector Magone to a position in the Auditor's Department of the Custom House in New York, but resigned after a few months to resume school work in Leonia, at an increased salary. Mr. Clark's military record began with his enlistment in Company A, Second Battalion, N. G. N. J., December 30, 1884. He
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.
By decade
Leonia, decade by decade
4 decades in the archive, from the 1910s to the 1970s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
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.
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 1668, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Leonia’s post office opened in 1868, and the census of 1900 counted 804 people here.
How does Leonia rank for history?
Leonia is more historic than 96% of U.S. towns, #30 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 Leonia?
Three places: the Civil War Drill Hall and Armory (listed 1978), the Vreeland House (1978) and the Cole-Allaire House (1983).
How old are the homes in Leonia?
41% of Leonia’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.7 points), against a typical 15% for a New Jersey town; the median home was built in 1945.
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), 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), the USGS Geographic Names Information System 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.
c. 1918
