More historic than 43% of U.S. towns · #827 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
Most of Mount Joy Township was built recently: 7% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1991. Below: 6 old photos and papers, maps from 1908 on, and the census since 1860.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Mount Joy Township is more historic than 43% of U.S. towns, #827 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Mount Joy Township’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 Mount Joy Township’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (25% of Pennsylvania towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1812.
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 (±3.9 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 Mount Joy Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds
Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
Milton Grove
1873–1914
Bellaire
1884–1907
18701950today
Hamlets and corners on the map
AberdeenAnchorBellaireBeverlyMilton Grove
16cemeteries and burying grounds inside Mount Joy Township
Camp HillElizabethtown MennoniteEshlemanGinder - Kinsey - StaufferKappMilton GroveMount JoyMount Pleasant Brethren In ChristOberholtzerReider RiderRheems MennoniteRisser's MennoniteSchneiderSherer - EichelbergerSternWest Green Tree Brethren
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
On the map
Mount Joy Township on the map, 1908 to 1990
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Mount Joy Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1908Middletown 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 Mount Joy Township.
The story so far
Mount Joy Township, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Mount Joy Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Mount Joy is a borough in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 8,346 at the 2020 census, and an estimated 8,323 in 2021.
Mount Joy Township was established in 1812. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 9,873 to 10,721 (+9%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Mount Joy Township, 1812 to 1923
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 1812, according to Wikidata. Mount Joy Township’s post office opened in 1873, and the census of 1860 counted 1,729 people here.
How does Mount Joy Township rank for history?
Mount Joy Township is more historic than 43% of U.S. towns, #827 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.
How old are the homes in Mount Joy Township?
7% of Mount Joy Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.9 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1991.
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), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
1880
1880
1894