West Haverstraw dates to 1883, and 5 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 52% of U.S. towns · #657 of 758 in New York. What drives it
Most of West Haverstraw was built recently: 10% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1967. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1892 on, and the census since 1890.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, West Haverstraw is more historic than 52% of U.S. towns, #657 of 758 in New York. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of West Haverstraw’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 West Haverstraw’s 26.1 sits near the middle of its state (60% of New York towns have fewer) while its 28 historic buildings outnumber those of 81% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±5.5 points). Two sources give 1883.
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 West Haverstraw’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of West Haverstraw. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1892Tarrytown sheet · 1:62,500
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of West Haverstraw.
On the National Register
5 listings protect 28 historic buildings
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
places listed
5
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
28
each building in a district counts
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
The story so far
West Haverstraw, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of West Haverstraw yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
West Haverstraw is a village incorporated in 1883 in the town of Haverstraw, Rockland County, New York, United States. It is located northwest of Haverstraw village, east of Thiells, south of the hamlet of Stony Point, and west of the Hudson River. As of the 2020 census, West Haverstraw had a population of 10,678. The majority of the hamlet of Garnerville is contained in the village of West Haverstraw.
West Haverstraw was established in 1883. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 10,165 to 10,678 (+5%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
From the old history books
What they wrote about West Haverstraw in 1884
Passages that mention West Haverstraw, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Village of West Haverstraw. This village was incorporated in 1883, and a notice was issued on February 10th of that year, stating that a map of the proposed village had been made, and a census taken. The general description was as follows: “ Bounded on the southeast by the village of Haverstraw, on the southwest by a line which includes both sides of the Ramapo road to its junction with a road
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
West Haverstraw, 1883 to 1909
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born 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 1883, according to Wikidata. West Haverstraw’s post office opened in 1875, and the census of 1890 counted 180 people here.
How does West Haverstraw rank for history?
West Haverstraw is more historic than 52% of U.S. towns, #657 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.
How old are the homes in West Haverstraw?
10% of West Haverstraw’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.5 points), against a typical 27% for a New York town; the median home was built in 1967.
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), 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.
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