Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
More historic than 91% of U.S. towns. What drives it
5 places in town are on the National Register. Below: 3 old photos and papers, maps from 1903 on, and the census since 1790.
New Haven dates its founding to 1761 (Wikidata). It appears in the first U.S. census, 1790.
More historic than 91% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, New Haven is more historic than 91% of U.S. towns. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its age ranks highest and its National Register listings lowest.
Vermont towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Vermont town has 147 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so New Haven’s 50.2 sits near the middle of its state (48% of Vermont towns have fewer) while its 9 historic buildings outnumber those of 75% of U.S. towns.
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 →
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
New Haven’s post office has been open since 1802. Four other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how New Haven’s history is told.
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Born hereRoyal Sprague is born here
Born hereJosiah Bushnell Grinnell is born here
In the archiveJohn McLean land bounty by son John Strong Mclean of Jay, New York 1832-1833
Born hereHomer Hulbert is born here
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
In the archiveRoot fence and pasture. New Haven, VermontFrom Wikipedia’s history of New Haven.
In July 1830, New Haven was heavily affected by the Great Freshet of 1830. Floodwaters along the New Haven River destroyed bridges, mills, and homes, and fourteen residents were reported killed.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention New Haven, cut from the printed page as they were published.
mentioned law in the United States Court. After protracted litigation the matter was decided in favor of the church. The suit, which was to test the validity of the church's title throughout the State, was brought against the town of New Haven. The share in New Haven for the first settled minister, after an attempt made by the Universalists to obtain it, was, by a vote of the town, appropriated to the use of common schools.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
year, in Weybridge one year, and in Starksboro five years, where he conducted a rake factory and wheelwright shop, after which he went to New Haven for three years, working at the carpenter and joiner's trade. In the spring of 1875 he came to Weybridge and worked at his trade until May, 1880, when he took charge of the Weybridge grist-mill, which he has since conducted. He was married March 20, 1805, to Miss Marcia L. Evans, of Randolph, Vt. They have had three sons born to them — Albert E., who died December 2, 1885, aged nineteen; Merle B., now a student at Beeman Academy, New Haven, and Claude M. Mr. Sneden haa always taken a deep interest in the issues of the day, and for many years has been an earnest
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Between 40 and 50 years ago. New Haven was a very dull place. We had decided in school house debates that this town never would invite a railroad near, oats and horses would be worthless, taverns closed, and in the language of Judge Bottom, a flock of black birds flying over would be of equal value.
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.
2 decades in the archive, from the 1830s to the 1940s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
2014New Haven, Vermont library and town offices
2014New Haven Mills
2014GreenMountain Skyline Grass 2014
2012Brooksville Advent Church
2012Brooksville Advent Church Historic Marker
2012Bridge 26 Weybridge
2011Union Church, New Haven Mills, Vermont
2007New Haven United Reformed Church in the Winter
2004New haven vt highlightEvery edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of New Haven. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of New Haven.
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on New Haven’s page.
Retake this view · +15The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Between 723 and 1,834 people in every census since 1790.
24 censuses, 1790–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on New Haven’s Wikipedia page.
Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
In 1761, according to Wikidata. New Haven’s post office opened in 1802, and the first U.S. census counted 723 people here in 1790.
New Haven is more historic than 91% of U.S. towns. 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.
5 listings: 4 buildings, among them the New Haven Junction Depot (listed 1978, the first), and 1 structure. 9 historic buildings in all.
24% of New Haven’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.7 points), against a typical 22% for a Vermont town; the median home was built in 1981.
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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 (11), the Library of Congress (1), the National Register of Historic Places (5), 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.
1832–1833