Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1832.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Valatie’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Valatie is more historic than 95% of U.S. towns. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its age ranks highest and its National Register listings lowest.
A+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Valatie’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 Valatie’s 27.8 sits near the middle of its state (60% of New York towns have fewer) while its 5 historic buildings outnumber those of 70% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1665.
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 (±7.9 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 Valatie’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Part of the original New Netherland, the first European settlers were the Dutch who settled Kinderhook around 1665, and named this area "Valletje", meaning "little falls". The first post office was established in 1832. By the early 19th century there were nine cotton mills in Valatie operating on power derived from the famous waterfalls; the village was incorporated in 1856. With a bustling Main Street, Valatie was considered the center of commerce in northern Columbia County throughout the 19th century.
Passages that mention Valatie, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Columbia County, New York. With illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers1878Read the page →
Read the text
was sawn the lumber used by the eai-ly settlers, and from this circumstance the stream was known as tho Saw Kill long after Frans Peitei-s had passed away. There were grist and saw-mills at Valatie in 1697; and in 1763 the saw-mill at this point was owned by Hans Hoes, and the grist-mill by Derick Hoes. The power on Valatie creek was also improved as early as 1712.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Columbia County, New York. With illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers1878Read the page →
Read the text
Valatie was incorporated March 25, 1850. The application for corporate privileges was made to the court of general sessions in 1853, and set forth that the place contained fifteen hundred and fifty-seven inhabitants, on the six hundred and forty-eight acres which were to be comprised within its limits. For various reasons the incorporation was not eifccted until three years later, when, at an election ordered to test the minds of the people upon this
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.
By decade
Valatie, decade by decade
2 decades in the archive, from the 1870s to the 1920s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
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 country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
places listed
3
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
5
each building in a district counts
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Questions about Valatie’s history
What year was Valatie founded?
In 1665, according to Wikidata. Valatie’s post office opened in 1832.
How does Valatie rank for history?
Valatie is more historic than 95% 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 Valatie?
34% of Valatie’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.9 points), against a typical 27% for a New York town; the median home was built in 1973.
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 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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