Spring Valley’s post office opened in 1848, and 3 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 54% of U.S. towns · #646 of 758 in New York. What drives it
Most of Spring Valley was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1972. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1893 on, and the census since 1880.
Founding year: the first Spring Valley post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Spring Valley’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Spring Valley is more historic than 54% of U.S. towns, #646 of 758 in New York. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Spring Valley’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 Spring Valley’s 1.2 sits below most of its state (22% of New York towns have fewer) while its 4 historic buildings outnumber those of 68% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to B. The pre-1940 share (±1.8 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
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 Spring Valley’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
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.
Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
On the map
Spring Valley on the map, 1910 to 1995
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Spring Valley. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1910Ramapo 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 Spring Valley.
Before the opening of the railroad, there were no homes in Spring Valley.
In 1842, the New York & Erie Railroad called this part of the territory "Pascack", after a stream by the same name. The residents of the area decided to call the place Spring Valley – one certain large spring in the Valley Pond being responsible for the name. Before naming the territory Spring Valley, it was called Scotland, named after their homeland, by Scotsmen who had settled in the area.
At the time of the survey of the north moiety of Kakiat.f a tract near the south bounds was mentioned as Scotch Plains. This was near the present village of Spring Valley. But even after the running of the Erie Railroad in 1841, all that could be said of Spring Valley was that the farm road leading from Scotland to the English Church crossed the railroad at this point. The first steps taken toward the formation of a village may be said
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The New Jersey and New York Railroad Company was organized April 3d 1880. As at present run this road enters the town of Ramapo at Spring Valley, and proceeding almost due north, leaves the town about a mile and a half north of Pomona station. Along its line in the town are Spring Valley, Union Station, New Hempstead, Alexis Station, and Pomona.
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
Spring Valley, 1909 to 1982
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.
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.
The Spring Valley post office opened in 1848, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Spring Valley rank for history?
Spring Valley is more historic than 54% of U.S. towns, #646 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 Spring Valley?
6% of Spring Valley’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.8 points), against a typical 27% for a New York town; the median home was built in 1972.
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 (12), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), 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.
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