Founding year: the first Ravena post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1914.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Ravena’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Ravena is more historic than 40% of U.S. towns, #705 of 758 in New York. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Ravena’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 Ravena’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (10% of New York towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to B. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±7.4 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata gives 1914.
Founding year: the first post office (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 Ravena’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The village of Ravena incorporated in 1914. Prior to its incorporation, it was known as "Coeymans Junction," but the name was changed to "Ravena" to avoid confusion with another hamlet in the town, "Coeymans Landing."
In 1894, a post office was established in Coeymans Junction bearing the name Ravena. The name source of the post office (and ultimately the village) is unclear. Some believe that the village's proximity to cliffs on its western boundary lent to the area being referred to as the ravine. Others feel that a brand of flour, Raven, was the inspiration behind the name.
The Israel Shear House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996.
Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
People over time
Ravena, census by census
Between 1,810 and 3,547 people in every census since 1920.
11 censuses, 1920–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Ravena’s Wikipedia page.
Questions about Ravena’s history
What year was Ravena founded?
The Ravena post office opened in 1893, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1914.
How does Ravena rank for history?
Ravena is more historic than 40% of U.S. towns, #705 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.
How old are the homes in Ravena?
25% of Ravena’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.4 points), against a typical 27% for a New York town; the median home was built in 1969.
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 (3), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) 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.
2021
2021
2021