Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1819.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives York’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, York is more historic than 90% of U.S. towns, #259 of 758 in New York. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its share of homes from before 1940 ranks highest and its National Register listings lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of York’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 York’s 41.1 sits above most of its state (66% of New York towns have fewer) while its 13 historic buildings outnumber those of 77% 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 (±9.3 points). Two sources give 1800.
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 York’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds
York’s post office has been open since 1819. Six other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
York
1819–today
Greigsville
1825–1922
Fowlerville
1826–1932
Piffardiana
1840–1847
Piffard
1849–today
Inverness
1853–1862
Linwood
1883–1993
Retsof
1891–today
Wadsworth
1891–1985
18101920today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Barefoot Mobile Home ParkCraigsFowlervilleFraserGreigsvilleInvernessLinwoodPiffardRetsofToggletownTreasure Island Mobile Home ParkTryons CornersWadsworthYork Center
Gone or out of use
Nevin FieldairportRetsof Salt MinemineSchool Number 10school
In 1722, the Tuscarora people moved north to join other Iroquoian natives, the League of the Iroquois, and settled near modern Piffard. The town was first settled by Europeans around 1800.
The town was formed in 1819 from parts of the towns of Leicester and Caledonia before the establishment of Livingston County. More territory was added from the town of Covington in 1823.
Salt was found in 1883 near modern Retsof, leading to the formation of the New York Rock Salt Company. Further discoveries were made subsequently by the Empire Salt Company and American Rock Salt.
The Linwood Gardens estate was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.
Passages that mention York, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Revised history of Harlem (city of New York). Its origin and early annals, prefaced by home scenes in the fatherlands1904 · page 132Read the page →
Read the text
* Jacobus Van Curler remained many years in this country. He took an active part, in 1657, in the settlement of New Utrecht, where he built one of the first houses, and served as town clerk and magistrate. At the age of sixty years he returned to Holland, sailing from New York, May 29, 1669, in the ship Duke of York. On losing his first wife, Adriana, Van Curler had m.arried, in 1652, a worthy but much-injured maiden, I,ysbet Van Hoogvelt, whom the false-hearted Van Tienhoven,
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.
In 1800, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. York’s post office opened in 1819, and the census of 1820 counted 1,729 people here.
How does York rank for history?
York is more historic than 90% of U.S. towns, #259 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 York?
Two places: the Westerly (listed 1974) and the Linwood (1997).
How old are the homes in York?
31% of York’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±9.3 points), against a typical 27% for a New York town; the median home was built in 1972.
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 (1), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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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