The Bombay post office opened in 1838, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, South Bombay (1856), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 1,446 in 18402020 census: 1,254188 years
How historic is Bombay?
B
More historic than 59% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Bombay post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Bombay’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Bombay is more historic than 59% of U.S. towns. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Bombay’s 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 Bombay’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (10% of New York towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±11.5 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 Bombay’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Bombay is named for the wife of Michael Hogan, an Irish ship captain who grew wealthy in the East India trade. He came to the US in 1805 with his wife, whom Hogan said was an Indian princess.
Hogan bought 20,000 acres (81 km2) north of the Adirondack Mountains, including the Town of Bombay, which was named in honour of his wife's birthplace. Their son, William Hogan, served as town supervisor, and was elected to the New York State Assembly in 1822. In 1829 he was appointed as a judge of the Court of Common Pleas for Franklin County, and in 1830 he was elected to Congress.
The Bombay post office opened in 1838, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Bombay rank for history?
Bombay is more historic than 59% 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.
How old are the homes in Bombay?
22% of Bombay’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±11.5 points), against a typical 27% for a New York 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 Wikimedia Commons (1), Wikipedia, 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.
