Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
More historic than 69% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1900 on, and the census since 1830.
The Stockton post office opened in 1823, the earliest record of the town by name. Four smaller post offices, South Stockton (1854), Moons (1873) and Burnhams (1881), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
More historic than 69% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Stockton is more historic than 69% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
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 Stockton’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.
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 →
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Stockton’s post office has been open since 1823. Four other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Stockton’s history is told.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Stockton. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Stockton.
From Wikipedia’s history of Stockton.
The area was first settled circa 1810. The town of Stockton was formed in 1821 from territory taken from the town of Chautauqua. Predation by wolves was a more severe problem in this town than neighboring communities. In 1850, the town was increased in size by adding territory from the town of Ellery.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention Stockton, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Stockton— The town of Stockton, formed from Chautauqua, February 9, 1821, was named in honor of Richard Stockton, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. In 1850 the township was enlarged by the annexation of a tier and a half of lots, twelve in number, from the northern part of Ellery. Stockton includes also one tier of lots taken from township 4,
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Stockton is a leading dairy town of Chautauqua county and scattered through the town are many butter and cheese factories. The present village of Stockton was formerly known as Delanti, a name adopted at a meeting of citizens held in January, 1833. Amos Crane presided at that meeting, Milton Smith was secretary and Loraine Dantforth, a teacher, se-
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
gospel ministry. In February, 181 7, the church was geografphically divided by a line running due east from the lake, leaving John Putnam in the First church of Chautauqua. In July, Mr. Putnam was ordained deacon. In April, [821, after the town of Stockton had been formed from Chautauqua, the name of the church was changed to The First Church of Stockton., its present name ; and the school-house near Miles Scofield's, in school district No. I, was established as the regular place for meetings of the church.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Ellery was formed firom Chautauqua, February 29, 1821; named in honor of William Ellery, a signer of the declaration of independence. A part of Stockton was taken off in 1850. It now comprises all of township 2, of range 12, lying east and north of Chautauqua Lake, together with township 3 of the same range, except 1 2 lots from the north part, which now form a part of Stockton, and an addition of about 9 lots from the narrow strip of township 3, range 13, lying east of the lake, making an aggregate area of 30,073 acres. The surface is hilly, the highest summits being 400 feet above
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.
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Born hereEdgar Pierpont Putnam is born here
In the archiveSouth Stockton (Village); South Stockton Business Directory; Stockton (Township)
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological SurveyOne decade in the archive so far: the 1860s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Stockton’s page.
Retake this view · +15Between 1,574 and 2,515 people in every census since 1830.
20 censuses, 1830–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Stockton’s Wikipedia page.
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
The Stockton post office opened in 1823, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
Stockton is more historic than 69% 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.
35% of Stockton’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.7 points), against a typical 27% for a New York town; the median home was built in 1964.
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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 (6), 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.
2022
2021
2010
2010
2010