Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1827.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Nichols’ History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Nichols is more historic than 83% of U.S. towns. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its share of homes from before 1940 ranks highest and its National Register listings lowest.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Nichols’ 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 Nichols’ 10.9 sits near the middle of its state (47% of New York towns have fewer) while its 3 historic buildings outnumber those of 65% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±5.4 points). Two sources give 1824.
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 Nichols’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The Sullivan Expedition of 1779 passed through the area, destroying the native settlements of those who sided with the British against America in the Revolutionary War. The first permanent settlers arrived before 1787, but they were regarded as squatters by the first official settler, who arrived circa 1791.
The town of Nichols was established in 1824 from part of the town of Tioga.
In 1824, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Nichols’ post office opened in 1827, and the census of 1830 counted 1,283 people here.
How does Nichols rank for history?
Nichols is more historic than 83% 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 Nichols?
Two places: the Platt-Cady Mansion (listed 1976) and the Nichols High School (1996).
How old are the homes in Nichols?
27% of Nichols’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.4 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 the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikipedia, 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 and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
