Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1885.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Upper Nyack’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Upper Nyack is more historic than 79% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Upper Nyack’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 Upper Nyack’s 276 sits above most of its state (86% of New York towns have fewer) while its 55 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 B to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.3 points). Two sources give 1872.
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 Upper Nyack’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Upper Nyack was incorporated in 1872. Two hundred years prior, Claus Jansen Purarent of Bergen Township (now Jersey City) received a patent from Governor Phillip Carteret for 640 acres (260 ha) of land north of Tappan. Jansen sold 100 acres (40 ha) to Dowe Harmensen Tallman, and the rest was inherited by his son Cornelius Clausen, who assumed the surname of Kuyper (Cooper). Kuyper was an outstanding public servant in the County of Orange. The first Upper Nyacker also commanded the first company of militia in the county. He died in 1731 and is buried in the Upper Nyack Burial Grounds.
This farm was situated in what is to-day the village of Upper Nyack, and extends from the river to the top of the mountain. On this property he remained until his death, which occurred August 15th 1786. He had three sons, Philip, Adrian, and Garret, two of whom died on this place at the age of about 71 years. Garret was the father of the present Garret Sarvent, owner of a portion of the same property. He is 72 years of age, and father
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
Upper Nyack, 1860 to 1892
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
In 1872, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Upper Nyack’s post office opened in 1885, and the census of 1880 counted 412 people here.
How does Upper Nyack rank for history?
Upper Nyack is more historic than 79% 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.
How old are the homes in Upper Nyack?
27% of Upper Nyack’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.3 points), against a typical 27% for a New York town; the median home was built in 1957.
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 (11), Wikidata (1), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) 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.
2016
2015
2015
2012
2012
2010
2010
2009
2006
2006
