On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Manchester is more historic than 69% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Manchester’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 Manchester’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 (±5.8 points). Two sources give 1793.
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 Manchester’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Manchester yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Manchester is a town in Ontario County, New York, United States. The population was 9,406 at the 2020 census. The town was named after one of its villages, which in turn was named after the city of Manchester in England. It was formed in 1822 from the town of Farmington. The Town of Manchester includes a village also named Manchester. The town is northeast of the city of Canandaigua.
Manchester was established in 1793. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 1,709 to 1,640 (-4%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
From the old history books
What they wrote about Manchester, 1836–1922
Passages that mention Manchester, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Manchester, its political, social and commercial history, ancient and modern1836 · page 328Read the page →
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The affairs regarding the poor of JMLanchester have ever since the year 1790, been governed by a local Act, which was obtained by the people of Manchester, for the purpose of ** providing a new Poorhouse for, and for the better relief and government of, the poor of the township of Manchester, in the county of Lancaster,'* as its heading declares. The preamble recites that, the town is " very populous, and the poor thereof are become exceedingly
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Manchester, its political, social and commercial history, ancient and modern1836 · page 11Read the page →
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From the Saxons also the new town of Manchester is said to have had its origin, on or near the site of the summer camp of the Romans, (a supposed station, no traces of which have yet been found, and the existence of which is questioned) and in contiguity with the present Market Place. The Aldport or Old Town had become much dilapidated by incessant warfare and the lapse of time.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
not at that time open to one of so pronounced a Nonconformity, but, even so, the cause of higher education was not desperate. Especially was it not desperate in Manchester. Hardly even by searching can we find the end of the personal riches of Manchester in the day when Russell Scott Taylor was a maturing boy in his father's house at Cheetham Hill. In 1840 Manchester
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
By decade
No old photos in the archives yet
Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
In 1793, according to Wikidata. Manchester’s post office opened in 1812, and the census of 1830 counted 2,811 people here.
How does Manchester rank for history?
Manchester is more historic than 69% 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 Manchester?
35% of Manchester’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.8 points), against a typical 27% for a New York town; the median home was built in 1964.
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 Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
