3 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 129 buildings. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1886 on, and the census since 1820.
The Andes post office opened in 1820, the earliest record of the town by name. Two smaller post offices, Shavertown (1828) and Cabin Hill (1832), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 1,378 in 18202020 census: 1,114206 years
How historic is Andes?
A
More historic than 91% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Andes post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Andes’ History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Andes is more historic than 91% of U.S. towns. 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 Andes’ overall grade.
New York towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical New York town has 12.3 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Andes’ 1,169 sits above most of its state (97% of New York towns have fewer) while its 132 historic buildings outnumber those of 91% 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 (±4.5 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
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 Andes’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Settlement began in 1784. The town was formed in 1819 breaking off from the Town of Middletown. Most of Delaware County, including Andes, became part of the Hardenbergh Patent, a manor which was owned by members of the Livingston family. The name of the town was the result of a jocular suggestion by Daniel H. Burr, who seeing that the new town was to include one of the hilliest sections of the county, said it ought to be called Andes.
The Andes post office opened in 1820, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Andes rank for history?
Andes is more historic than 91% of U.S. towns. 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 Andes?
Three places: the Andes Historic District (listed 1984), the Jackson-Aitken Farm (2003) and the Delaware and Northern Railroad Station (2004).
How old are the homes in Andes?
18% of Andes’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.5 points), against a typical 27% for a New York town; the median home was built in 1979.
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 (1), Wikidata (2), 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 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.
