Fuquay-Varina dates to 1909, and 10 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 24% of U.S. towns · #192 of 290 in North Carolina. What drives it
Most of Fuquay-Varina was built recently: 1% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2011. 10 places in town are on the National Register, among them three historic districts with 66 buildings between them. Below: 11 old photos and papers, maps from 1974 on, and the census since 1910.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1872.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Fuquay-Varina’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Fuquay-Varina is more historic than 24% of U.S. towns, #192 of 290 in North Carolina. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Fuquay-Varina’s overall grade.
North Carolina towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical North Carolina town has 12.5 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Fuquay-Varina’s 18.5 sits near the middle of its state (60% of North Carolina towns have fewer) while its 75 historic buildings outnumber those of 88% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1909.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to C+. The pre-1940 share (±1.0 points) is firm at this size.
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 Fuquay-Varina’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Frenchman William Fuquay first settled in the small farming town of Sippihaw, named for the original Native American tribe that inhabited the area. Although there is no history of a tribe called Sippihaw, there are historical accounts in the area of a tribe called Susippihaw. Around 1858, while plowing the fields of the family tobacco farm, Stephen Fuquay, son of William, discovered a spring. Originally the spring was used solely for drinking water. Stephen soon came to the conclusion that the mineral water flowing from the springs had healing properties. As word spread, locals began to help the springs establish this reputation, which brought residents from neighboring communities and counties to its waters. The springs were eventually walled in to better serve the tourists coming to the area by road or rail. In 1860, Fuquay sold the springs to a group of local investors who formed th…
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.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Fuquay-Varina. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1974Fuquay-Varina sheet · 1:24,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Fuquay-Varina.
Then & now
Stand where they stood
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.
Retake this viewPressing sorghum cane, Fuquay Springs, North Carolina, 1935
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Fuquay-Varina’s page.
In 1909, according to Wikidata. Fuquay-Varina’s post office opened in 1872, and the census of 1910 counted 127 people here.
How does Fuquay-Varina rank for history?
Fuquay-Varina is more historic than 24% of U.S. towns, #192 of 290 in North Carolina. 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 Fuquay-Varina?
10 listings: 6 buildings, 3 historic districts, the Fuquay Springs Historic District, the Jones-Johnson-Ballentine Historic District and the Varina Commercial Historic District, with 66 contributing buildings, and 1 site. 75 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Fuquay-Varina?
1% of Fuquay-Varina’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.0 points), against a typical 4.1% for a North Carolina town; the median home was built in 2011.
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 the Library of Congress (11), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (10), 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) 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.
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