Wheatland dates to 1821, and 25% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 92% of U.S. towns · #235 of 758 in New York. What drives it
16 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 41 buildings. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1899 on, and the census since 1830.
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1819.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Wheatland’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Wheatland is more historic than 92% of U.S. towns, #235 of 758 in New York. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its age lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Wheatland’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 Wheatland’s 132 sits above most of its state (79% of New York towns have fewer) while its 64 historic buildings outnumber those of 87% of U.S. towns.
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 (±5.6 points). Two sources give 1821.
Founding year: Wikipedia (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 Wheatland’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first settlers arrived circa 1789. The town was established on February 23, 1821, as Inverness, from the town of Caledonia. On April 3, 1821, the state legislature changed the Inverness' name to Wheatland, allegedly at the behest of John Garbutt, a former Englishman markedly devoid of Scottish tendencies.
In those days, the growing of wheat and the manufacture of flour were the county's primary economic activity, and the Wheatland area figured prominently in this trade. The US Census of 1850 notes that the counties of Monroe and Livingston led the entire United States in wheat production.
Passages that mention Wheatland, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Rochester and Monroe county, New York1908 · page 1192Read the page →
Read the text
Isaac Scott, a prominent physician who came to Clarkson from his native town of Wheatland and was here actively engaged in the practice of his profession throughout a long period. The maternal great-grandfather. Dr. Isaac Scott, Sr., came I'rom England and settled where Scottsville now stands, the town being named in his honor. He was a surgeon in the Eevolutionary war. Aaron
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
Wheatland, 1819 to 1900
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 1821, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Wheatland’s post office opened in 1819, and the census of 1830 counted 2,239 people here.
How does Wheatland rank for history?
Wheatland is more historic than 92% of U.S. towns, #235 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 Wheatland?
16 listings: 12 buildings, 1 historic district, the Rochester Street Historic District, with 41 contributing buildings, and 3 sites. 64 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Wheatland?
25% of Wheatland’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.6 points), against a typical 27% for a New York town; the median home was built in 1966.
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 (16), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (16), Wikipedia, 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.
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