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History · Virden

Virden dates to 1916

Most of Virden was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2000. Below: maps from 1986 on and the census since 1930.

1916founded
0on the National Register
4%homes built before 1940
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Photo: TH9K · CC BY 4.0
Quick answers

How Virden began

When was Virden founded?

1916

Virden dates its founding to 1916 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1930.

First census: 196 in 19302020 census: 126110 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1875.The full story ↓

What stands out about Virden’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Virden are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 246 in 1980; 126 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Virden’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Virden’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Virden, census by census

010020019401960198020002020Peak: 246

Peaked at 246 in 1980; 126 people lived here in 2020.

10 censuses, 1930–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Virden’s Wikipedia page.

The story

How Virden came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Virden.

Read it all →

Known as Richmond prior to 1916, the area was originally owned by the New Mexico Mining Company, and was the location of a stamp mill for the silver ore mined in nearby Ralston. After the mine was closed, the site was sold in 1916 to Mormons who had left the Mormon Colonies in Chihuahua during the Mexican Revolution. The Mormons renamed the village after the rancher who sold them the land.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Virden, 1875 to 1986

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1875Post officeThe Richmond post office opens
  3. 1884Post officeThe Richmond post office closes
  4. 20th century
  5. 1916
    FoundingVirden is established
  6. 1980CensusPopulation peaks at 246
  7. 1986On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Virden, decade by decade

Today2 recent
Virden Basketball Court2024Virden Basketball CourtNMMap-doton-Virden2004NMMap-doton-Virden
On the map

Virden on the map in 1986

The U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Virden.

Virden on the 1986 USGS map1986Duncan 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 Virden.

Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Another post office, Richmond, 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).

Questions about Virden’s history

What year was Virden founded?

In 1916, according to Wikidata. Virden’s post office opened in 1875, and the census of 1930 counted 196 people here.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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Sources

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 Wikimedia Commons (2), Wikipedia, 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.