Tuxedo dates to 1890, and 40% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 87% of U.S. towns · #309 of 758 in New York. What drives it
3 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 204 buildings. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1931 on, and the census since 1890.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1869.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Tuxedo’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Tuxedo is more historic than 87% of U.S. towns, #309 of 758 in New York. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Tuxedo’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 Tuxedo’s 545 sits above most of its state (92% of New York towns have fewer) while its 205 historic buildings outnumber those of 93% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1890.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ to A+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±8.4 points).
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 Tuxedo’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The historic occupants of what is now the town of Tuxedo were the Lenni-Lenape, a branch of the large Algonquian language family of Native Americans, whose different branches lived along the East Coast from Canada through the Upper South. The name Tuxedo is derived from the Lenape word ptukwsiit (Munsee dialect) or tùkwsit (Unami dialect), meaning "round foot" or Wolf Clan, e.g. the Unami name for this location is tùkwsitu, "place of the Wolf-Clan People". European-American colonists adopted that name for the town they developed.
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.
In 1890, according to Wikidata. Tuxedo’s post office opened in 1869, and the census of 1890 counted 1,678 people here.
How does Tuxedo rank for history?
Tuxedo is more historic than 87% of U.S. towns, #309 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 Tuxedo?
Three places: the Southfield Furnace Ruin (listed 1973), the Tuxedo Park (1980) and the Tuxedo Park Railroad Station (2000).
How old are the homes in Tuxedo?
40% of Tuxedo’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±8.4 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 (5), the Library of Congress (1), the National Register of Historic Places (3), 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.
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