Guilderland dates to 1700, and 41 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 85% of U.S. towns · #352 of 758 in New York. What drives it
Most of Guilderland was built recently: 7% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1978. 41 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 204 buildings between them. Below: 4 old photos and papers, maps from 1893 on, and the census since 1810.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1815.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Guilderland’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Guilderland is more historic than 85% of U.S. towns, #352 of 758 in New York. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Guilderland’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 Guilderland’s 73.0 sits above most of its state (72% of New York towns have fewer) while its 272 historic buildings outnumber those of 95% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1700.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ to A+. The pre-1940 share (±1.4 points) is firm at this size.
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 Guilderland’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
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6cemeteries and burying grounds inside Guilderland
Guilderland was originally a part of the Manor of Rensselaerswyck that Patroon Kiliaen van Rensselaer began in 1629 as part of the New Netherland colony. By the end of the 17th century, Dutch settlers from Albany and Schenectady began to establish farms in the area, beginning first along the banks of the Normans Kill. In 1712, a group of emigrants from the Rhine Valley in present-day Germany passed through the town on their way to Schoharie. They were the first to record and name the Helderberg Escarpment, originally Hellebergh meaning "bright or clear mountain". This name would also be used for all the land between the Normans Kill and the escarpment. In 1734, the first known religious service was held by a Lutheran dominie from Athens, New York to the "Normanskill Folk", and the first religious structure was a Dutch Reformed Church in 1750.
In 1700, according to Wikidata. Guilderland’s post office opened in 1815, and the census of 1810 counted 2,476 people here.
How does Guilderland rank for history?
Guilderland is more historic than 85% of U.S. towns, #352 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 Guilderland?
41 listings: 38 buildings, among them the Delaware and Hudson Railroad Passenger Station (listed 1971, the first), 2 historic districts, the Altamont Historic District and the McKownville-Country Club Highlands Historic District, with 204 contributing buildings, and 1 site. 272 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Guilderland?
7% of Guilderland’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.4 points), against a typical 27% for a New York town; the median home was built in 1978.
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 (16), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (41), 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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