North Tonawanda dates to 1809, and 28% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 94% of U.S. towns · #172 of 758 in New York. What drives it
10 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 482 buildings between them. Below: 3 old photos and papers, maps from 1897 on, and the census since 1880.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1850.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives North Tonawanda’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, North Tonawanda is more historic than 94% of U.S. towns, #172 of 758 in New York. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its age lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of North Tonawanda’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 Tonawanda’s 164 sits above most of its state (81% of New York towns have fewer) while its 496 historic buildings outnumber those of 97% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1809.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would still be A. The pre-1940 share (±2.5 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: Wikidata (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 North Tonawanda’s 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 North Tonawanda. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1897Tonawanda 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 North Tonawanda.
After the first settlers arrived in 1809, North Tonawanda became part of the town of Wheatfield, New York, in Niagara County, from May 1836. An abortive attempt at a village containing portions in two counties and two towns from January 1854 until April 1857, it was part of the Niagara County/Town of Wheatfield component, with the other portion in Erie County and the Town of Tonawanda. The experiment was abandoned after New York removed the village's North Tonawanda component. Oral history claims a dispute between merchants was the cause, but the combination of communities in two counties and two towns was unwieldy. After becoming a village on May 8, 1865 (still in the Town of Wheatfield, but as part of Martinsville, New York), North Tonawanda was incorporated as a city on April 24, 1897.
Passages that mention North Tonawanda, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Souvenir history of Niagara County, New York1902 · page 132Read the page →
Read the text
In May, 1865, the Village of North Tonawanda was incorporated in the southwest part of the town: In 1892 the village began proceedings to enlarge its borders, and eventually included to a very large extent the hamlets of Gratwick and Martinsville and all the intervening land between a terirtory about three and one-half by four miles square.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Niagara county, N. Y., with illustrations descriptive of its scenery, private residences, public buildings, fine blocks, and important manufactories, and portraits of old pioneers and prominent residents1878 · page 377Read the page →
Read the text
James Sweeney located first in Buffalo in 1811. As one of the proprietors in the original purchase of the land upon which the village of North Tonawanda has been erected, he located on it in 1828, and built the first frame dwelling. The clearing of the land was commenced for the purpose of furnishing timber for the Buffalo pier, and to prepare the way for the sale of village lots. He pursued a liberal policy in advancing his individual inter-
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Souvenir history of Niagara County, New York1902 · page 204Read the page →
Read the text
In 1824 the site of the City of North Tonawanda was occupied by the Village of Niagara. Even in those times this was considered a promising locality, as may be seen from a perusal of the prospectus of the village’s proprietors.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Niagara county, N. Y., with illustrations descriptive of its scenery, private residences, public buildings, fine blocks, and important manufactories, and portraits of old pioneers and prominent residents1878 · page 376Read the page →
Read the text
Previous to the location and construction of the Erie Canal there appears to have been but little progress made in settling that portion of the town now embracing the large and rapidly advancing village of North Tonawanda. As at other localities, the canal was the impetus that moved capitalists to invest at this favorable point. The following original handbill shows the beginning of business enterprises :
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
North Tonawanda, 1809 to 1973
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
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.
In 1809, according to Wikidata. North Tonawanda’s post office opened in 1850, and the census of 1880 counted 1,492 people here.
How does North Tonawanda rank for history?
North Tonawanda is more historic than 94% of U.S. towns, #172 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 North Tonawanda?
10 listings: 8 buildings, among them the Riviera Theatre (listed 1980, the first), and 2 historic districts, the Ascension Roman Catholic Church Complex and the Sweeney Estate Historic District, with 482 contributing buildings. 496 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in North Tonawanda?
28% of North Tonawanda’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.5 points), against a typical 27% for a New York town; the median home was built in 1955.
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 (10), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (10), 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 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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1973
2021
2015
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