Murray dates to 1809, and 46% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 95% of U.S. towns · #147 of 758 in New York. What drives it
3 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 40 buildings between them. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1897 on, and the census since 1820.
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1812.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Murray’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Murray is more historic than 95% of U.S. towns, #147 of 758 in New York. 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 Murray’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 Murray’s 88.3 sits above most of its state (74% of New York towns have fewer) while its 42 historic buildings outnumber those of 84% 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 (±6.5 points). Two sources give 1809.
Founding year: Wikipedia (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 Murray’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Murray was first settled c. 1809. The Town of Murray was established in 1808 from the town of Northampton before the formation of Orleans County, while still part of Genesee County. Later, Murray was reduced by the creation of new towns: Sweden (1813, now in Monroe County), Clarkson, (1819, now in Monroe County) and Kendall (1837).
In 1850, the community of Holley incorporated, setting itself off from the town.
Passages that mention Murray, cut from the printed page as they were published.
The mystery of Murray Davenport [microform]1903 · page 204Read the page →
Read the text
“T should think so. Let’s put these queer things together in chronological order. He writes a note to Murray Davenport about a meeting to occur between them; some weeks later he is seen coming from the place Murray Davenport was last seen going into; within a few days of that, he shadows the movements of Murray Davenport’s friend Larcher; within a few more days he takes a room
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The mystery of Murray Davenport [microform]1903 · page 240Read the page →
Read the text
And this might happen at any time. It would be easy enough to avoid the old Murray Davenport’s haunts, but he might go very far and still be in hourly risk of running against one of the old Murray Davenport’s acquaintances. FP t even this was a small matter to the constant certainty of his being recognized as the old Murray Davenport by himself. Every time he looked into a mirror, or passed
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.
Timeline
Murray, 1809 to 1984
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
In 1809, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Murray’s post office opened in 1812, and the census of 1820 counted 1,561 people here.
How does Murray rank for history?
Murray is more historic than 95% of U.S. towns, #147 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 Murray?
Three places: the Hillside Cemetery (listed 2013), the Holley Village Historic District (2015) and the Fancher World War II Memorial (2022).
How old are the homes in Murray?
46% of Murray’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 1952.
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), the National Register of Historic Places (3), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System 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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