On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Hatfield is more historic than 75% of U.S. towns, #397 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. 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 Hatfield’s overall grade.
Pennsylvania towns list about as much on the Register as the country (a typical Pennsylvania town has 2.1 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Hatfield’s 2.9 sits near the middle of its state (61% of Pennsylvania towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1832.
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 (±5.5 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 Hatfield’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Hatfield yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Hatfield is a borough in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, Hatfield had a population of 3,496. It is part of the North Penn Valley region that is centered around the borough of Lansdale. The borough is surrounded by Hatfield Township .
Hatfield was established in 1832. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 3,290 to 3,496 (+6%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
From the old history books
What they wrote about Hatfield, 1884–1923
Passages that mention Hatfield, cut from the printed page as they were published.
A brief history of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, with an accompanying map1923 · page 192Read the page →
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Two miles beyond Maple Glen the historic road from Horsham Meeting House to Hatfield township is reached. A mile to the southeast is the Horsham Friends’ Meeting House, an old land¬ mark, on the historic Easton road, connecting Easton by way of Doylestown and Philadelphia by way of Willow Grove. Settlement in the vicinity of the meeting house was made by the Palmers, 1683, and by Iredells and Lukenses about 1709 or 1710. The first house of worship was built 1718-1721; the present, 1803. A school, insti¬
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Montgomery County, Pennsylvania1923 · page 364Read the page →
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Hatfield — Carved out of the central part of Hatfield township, this borough now having a population of about 800, is up-to-date with energy and business tact equal to the spirit of the age in small towns. There appears to have been a settlement here as early as 1832. Soon thereafter a dozen or more houses were reported, and a post office was established. In 1883 it contained fifty residences, several general stores, and a number of shops and the usual mechanical industries. Once the community had its Upper and Lower Hatfield, but now all is described as
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Montgomery County, Pennsylvania1923 · page 303Read the page →
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By act of the General Assembly, approved March 24, 1818, the township of Hatfield was formed into a separate election district, and the elections ordered to be held at the house of John Buchanan ; in 1825 it was ordered held at the house of Peter Conver, and again it was changed to the house of Jacob C. Bachman. All later elections were at some public hall or schoolhouse.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania1884 · page 742Read the page →
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The borough of Lansdale was incorporated August 24, 1872, and is situated on the line of the townships of Gwynedd and Hatfield, and close to the angles of Montgomery and Towamencin. It has an area of two hundred and sixty-nine acres, of which one hundred and forty-five were taken from Gwynedd and one hundred and twenty-four from Hatfield. Its form is regular and its principal streets are Broad, Main,
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 1832, according to Wikidata. Hatfield’s post office opened in 1861, and the census of 1900 counted 528 people here.
How does Hatfield rank for history?
Hatfield is more historic than 75% of U.S. towns, #397 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. 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 Hatfield?
One place: the Hatfield Borough Substation, Lock Up and Firehouse (listed 2016).
How old are the homes in Hatfield?
17% of Hatfield’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.5 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania 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 (5), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) 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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