Photo: Jason Woodhead · CC BY 4.0
Virginia City dates to 1863, and 58% of its homes were built before 1940
1 place in town is on the National Register, among them the Virginia City Historic District, a National Historic Landmark, and a historic district with 15 buildings.
How Virginia City began
When was Virginia City founded?
Virginia City dates its founding to 1863 (Wikidata). Its post office opened in 1864.
1 listing protects 15 historic buildings
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. One is a National Historic Landmark, the highest tier.
★ LandmarkNational Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Places now gone and burying grounds
Virginia City’s post office has been open since 1864.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Virginia City’s history
What year was Virginia City founded?
In 1863, according to Wikidata. Virginia City’s post office opened in 1864.
What is on the National Register in Virginia City?
One place: the Virginia City Historic District (listed 1966).
Memory lane
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
Where this page comes from
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). How TownRatings grades history →
From the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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.