7 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 50 buildings between them. Below: maps from 1902 on and the census since 1850.
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1850.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives St. Armand’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, St. Armand is more historic than 96% of U.S. towns. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its share of homes from before 1940 ranks highest and its age lowest.
A+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of St. Armand’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 St. Armand’s 360 sits above most of its state (88% of New York towns have fewer) while its 56 historic buildings outnumber those of 86% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A to A+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±11.2 points). Two sources give 1829.
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 St. Armand’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The town was first settled circa 1829. The early industry was based on lumber production. After most of the trees were harvested, farming became predominant. Because the town was set at the conjunction of five roads, including New York Route 3, it became an active community.
By the end of the 19th century, the town had become the locale for sanatoria intended for tuberculosis (TB) cures. Dr. Edward Trudeau, in 1884, was one of the first to establish a sanatorium within the town, near the village of Saranac Lake.
In 1829, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. St. Armand’s post office opened in 1850, and the census of 1850 counted 210 people here.
How does St. Armand rank for history?
St. Armand is more historic than 96% 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 St. Armand?
7 listings: 5 buildings, among them the Denny Cottage (listed 1992, the first), and 2 historic districts, the Highland Park Historic District and the Trudeau Sanatorium, with 50 contributing buildings. 56 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in St. Armand?
41% of St. Armand’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±11.2 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 Wikimedia Commons (1), the National Register of Historic Places (7), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
2008
