Elma’s post office opened in 1853, and 1 of its places is on the National Register
More historic than 33% of U.S. towns · #722 of 758 in New York. What drives it
Most of Elma was built recently: 9% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1970. Its Register listing is the Burton H. Hurd House. Its Register listing is the Burton H. Hurd House. Below: 9 old photos and papers, maps from 1905 on, and the census since 1860.
The Elma post office opened in 1853, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1857. Four smaller post offices, Blossom (1862), East Elma (1863) and Elma Centre (1877), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 2,091 in 18602020 census: 11,721173 years
How historic is Elma?
C
More historic than 33% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Elma post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1857.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Elma’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Elma is more historic than 33% of U.S. towns, #722 of 758 in New York. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Elma’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 Elma’s 0.9 sits below most of its state (21% of New York towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to C+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.4 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1857 falls in the same era, so the grade doesn’t depend on which one is used.
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 Elma’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The area was settled around 1827. The early residents included members of the Ebenezer Society.
Elma was the last town formed in the county. When the time came to put up a post office for the local lumber mill, a resident suggested it be named after a famous large American elm, then growing at the corner of the modern Clinton and Bowen Road. The name was accepted, and after all procedures were carried out, the new Elma Post Office was established in 1852 and began receiving mail three times a week. The town was officially created in 1857 from parts of the towns of Aurora and Lancaster.
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 Elma post office opened in 1853, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1857.
How does Elma rank for history?
Elma is more historic than 33% of U.S. towns, #722 of 758 in New York. 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 Elma?
One place: the Burton H. Hurd House (listed 2026).
How old are the homes in Elma?
9% of Elma’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.4 points), against a typical 27% for a New York town; the median home was built in 1970.
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 (18), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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.
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