Most of North Haven was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1989. Below: maps from 1904 on and the census since 1880.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, North Haven is more historic than 50% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of North Haven’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 North Haven’s 51.7 sits above most of its state (69% of New York towns have fewer) while its 5 historic buildings outnumber those of 70% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.0 points).
Founding year: our sources. 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 North Haven’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The area that now consists of North Haven was first settled by Europeans in 1665. The village incorporated itself in 1931.
In January 2007, Robert W. Rust – a former assistant U.S. attorney decorated for helping save the life of President John F. Kennedy almost three years before he was assassinated – placed his 55-acre (220,000 m2) waterfront estate in the village of North Haven onto the market for $80 million. The property went unsold, and was taken off the market because the listing had expired at the end of September.
North Haven is more historic than 50% 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 North Haven?
5% of North Haven’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.0 points), against a typical 27% for a New York town; the median home was built in 1989.
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 Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps and U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
