Founding year: the first Mexico post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Mexico’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Mexico is more historic than 97% of U.S. towns. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its share of homes from before 1940 ranks highest and its age lowest.
A+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Mexico’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 Mexico’s 415 sits above most of its state (90% of New York towns have fewer) while its 93 historic buildings outnumber those of 89% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A to A+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±7.4 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
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 Mexico’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first Mexico (a proposed county), with all the surrounding towns, was originally created from Town of Whitestown, Oneida County, New York, on April 10, 1792, by the State Land Commissioner. It was to include present day Oswego and Jefferson Counties. The original organization of the proposed Mexico County and a town of that name was abandoned for a time. In December 1794, George Frederick William Augustus Scriba purchased and patented a large tract of land; subsequently becoming a second Mexico, hence the Village of Mexico and the Town of Mexico.
George Scriba also later opened roads traveling from Mexico Bay and Mexico Point from what is now Mexico Point State Park to present-day Constantia, as well as a highway to present-day Oswego.
Passages that mention Mexico, cut from the printed page as they were published.
The treasury of history, being a history of the world [microform]1852Read the page →
Read the text
The Mexican government, recently overturned by Santa Anna, paid no attention to this petition ; aud Stephen Austin, who was its bearer to the city of Mexico, wrote 2 Jotter home, advising his fellow Texans to organize a state government despite the Mexican authorities. ‘This letter was intercepted by Santa Anna's government, and Austin, shortly after his return, arrested and conveyed back to the city of Mexico, where he was imprisoned a year in solitary confinement, This at once roused the indignation and the vengeance of the Anglo-
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The treasury of history, being a history of the world [microform]1852Read the page →
Read the text
In accordance with this arrangement Mr. John Slidell was appointed special envoy to Mexico, and arrived at Sacrificios on the 20ih of November, whence he hastened on toward the city of Mexico. At Puebla, however, he was met by Mr. Black, who informed him that the Mexican government did not dare to entertain peace propositions just then, lest the irritation of the people would overturn the government and render peace impossible. It was hoped that, by January, arrangements could be completed for commencing negotiations. Disregarding these intimations, Mr.
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
Mexico, decade by decade
One decade in the archive so far: the 1960s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
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 Mexico post office opened in 1813, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Mexico rank for history?
Mexico is more historic than 97% 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 Mexico?
42% of Mexico’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.4 points), against a typical 27% for a New York town; the median home was built in 1962.
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 (5), Wikidata (1), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people 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.
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