Halfmoon dates to 1788, and 6 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 58% of U.S. towns · #619 of 758 in New York. What drives it
Most of Halfmoon was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1996. 6 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 13 buildings between them. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1893 on, and the census since 1820.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1819.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Halfmoon’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Halfmoon is more historic than 58% of U.S. towns, #619 of 758 in New York. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Halfmoon’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 Halfmoon’s 6.9 sits near the middle of its state (40% of New York towns have fewer) while its 18 historic buildings outnumber those of 79% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1788.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to B+. The pre-1940 share (±1.6 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 Halfmoon’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The earliest settlements began with the arrival of the Dutch. The area now known as Halfmoon was a tract of land called "Halve Maen", which was named for the shape of the west side of the Hudson River to the north of its confluence with the Mohawk River. The Mohican tribe sold the plain to Philip Schuyler and Goosen Van Schaick in 1664, and it was later confirmed in Albany in 1667.
The original Half Moon Patent extended along the western bank of the Hudson River from Tenendahowa (modern-day Anthony Kill) to the Mohawk River. The first dwellings were said to have been established by the 1680s in the area of the current boundary between the Town of Halfmoon and Town of Waterford on the Hudson River.
In 1788, according to Wikidata. Halfmoon’s post office opened in 1819, and the census of 1820 counted 4,024 people here.
How does Halfmoon rank for history?
Halfmoon is more historic than 58% of U.S. towns, #619 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 Halfmoon?
6 listings: 4 buildings and 2 historic districts, the Mechanicville Hydroelectric Plant and the Church Hill Historic District, with 13 contributing buildings. 18 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Halfmoon?
4% of Halfmoon’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.6 points), against a typical 27% for a New York town; the median home was built in 1996.
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 (12), the National Register of Historic Places (6), 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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