More historic than 93% of U.S. towns · #1 of 187 in Alabama. What drives it
5 places in town are on the National Register, among them four historic districts with 999 buildings between them. Below: 6 old photos and papers, maps from 1964 on, and the census since 1980.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Valley is more historic than 93% of U.S. towns, #1 of 187 in Alabama. All 2 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Valley’s overall grade.
Alabama towns list about as much on the Register as the country (a typical Alabama town has 2.7 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Valley’s 973 sits above most of its state (99% of Alabama towns have fewer) while its 1,000 historic buildings outnumber those of 99% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.9 points).
Founding year: our sources. 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 Valley’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Magnolia FerrycrossingRiver View Post Officepost officeValley Airportairport
4cemeteries and burying grounds inside Valley
FairfaxFairviewGlassLangdale
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
The story so far
Valley, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Valley yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Valley is a city in Chambers County, Alabama, United States. Valley was incorporated in 1980 combining the four textile mill villages of Fairfax, Langdale, River View, and Shawmut. As of the 2020 census it had a population of 10,529. The city lies on the western bank of the Chattahoochee River, the state border between Alabama and Georgia. Valley is a pilot city for the Alabama Communities of Excellence program, a non-profit that partners with governments, businesses, and universities to prepare participating communities for a more vibrant future. It is included in the LaGrange, Georgia Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Greater Atlanta Combined Statistical Area.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 9,524 to 10,529 (+11%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Valley, 1850 to 1997
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.
Valley is more historic than 93% of U.S. towns, #1 of 187 in Alabama. 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 Valley?
5 listings: 1 building and 4 historic districts with 999 contributing buildings. 1,000 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Valley?
17% of Valley’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.9 points), against a typical 3.2% for an Alabama town; the median home was built in 1978.
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), the National Register of Historic Places (5), 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) 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
1997
1997
