Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
More historic than 15% of U.S. towns · #744 of 758 in New York. What drives it
Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1902 on, and the census since 1920.
The Harriman post office opened in 1910, the earliest record of the town by name.
More historic than 15% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Harriman is more historic than 15% of U.S. towns, #744 of 758 in New York. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
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 Harriman’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.
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 →
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Harriman’s history is told.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Harriman. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Harriman.
From Wikipedia’s history of Harriman.
The village is named after E. H. Harriman, former president of the Union Pacific railroad, whose estate — Arden — is adjacent to the village. Previously, the village was known as Turner, from the early restaurant of Peter Turner.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Harriman’s page.
Retake this view · +15Grew from 680 people in 1920 to 2,714 in 2020, 3 times over.
11 censuses, 1920–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Harriman’s Wikipedia page.
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
The Harriman post office opened in 1910, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
Harriman is more historic than 15% of U.S. towns, #744 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.
11% of Harriman’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.5 points), against a typical 27% for a New York town; the median home was built in 1985.
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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), the Library of Congress (1), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps and U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
Date?
2024