7 places in town are on the National Register, among them three historic districts with 366 buildings between them. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1886 on, and the census since 1820.
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1828.
History grade
What drives Naples’ History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Naples is more historic than 98% 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 Naples’ 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 Naples’ 1,420 sits above most of its state (98% of New York towns have fewer) while its 370 historic buildings outnumber those of 96% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikipedia alone; no second source gives 1789.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would still be A+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±6.1 points).
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 Naples’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Naples. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1900Naples sheet · 1:62,500
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Naples.
The story so far
Naples, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Naples yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Naples is a town in Ontario County, New York, United States. The population was 2,417 at the 2020 census. The Town of Naples contains a village, also called Naples. The town is located in the southwestern corner of Ontario County. It is located in the Finger Lakes region of New York. The annual Naples Grape Festival is held in September, and the area is known for its wineries and grape pie.
Naples was established in 1789. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 2,502 to 2,403 (-4%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
From the old history books
What they wrote about Naples in 1907
Passages that mention Naples, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Naples was again their own, the French troops were swept out of the kingdom, and a few weeks later (September 28th) Rome also fell into the hands of the Neapolitans and Austrians. The standard of Naples floated from the walls of S. Angelo, the
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The Convention were enraged at all these rebuffs, which they attributed to Acton and the King and Queen of Naples, and on the 17th of December, 1792, a squadron of French ships of war appeared in the bay of Naples. The largest of them dropped anchor within half a gunshot of the fortress of Castel deir Ovo, and the French admiral. La Touche, having drawn up the rest of his ships in line of battle across
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
Naples, 1789 to 1983
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
In 1789, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Naples’ post office opened in 1828, and the census of 1820 counted 1,038 people here.
How does Naples rank for history?
Naples is more historic than 98% 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.
What is on the National Register in Naples?
7 listings: 3 buildings, among them the Ephraim Cleveland House (listed 1994, the first), 3 historic districts, the Naples South Main Street Historic District, the Naples Viniculture Historic District and the Central Naples Historic District, with 366 contributing buildings, and 1 site. 370 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Naples?
50% of Naples’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.1 points), against a typical 27% for a New York town; the median home was built in 1938.
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 (9), the Library of Congress (1), the National Register of Historic Places (7), 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), the USGS Geographic Names Information System, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) 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.
Date?
2024
2022
2021
2021
2021
2021
2021
2020
2009