Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1811.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Virgil’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Virgil is more historic than 50% of U.S. towns. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Virgil’s overall grade.
New York towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical New York town has 12.3 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Virgil’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (10% of New York towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.6 points). Two sources give 1792.
Founding year: Wikipedia (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 Virgil’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The region was part of the Central New York Military Tract used to pay soldiers of the American Revolution. "Virgil" was the name of one of the townships of the Military Tract, this name being assigned by a clerk interested in the Classics.
Virgil was first settled circa 1792. The town was formed from the town of Homer in 1804. Virgil was reduced by the formation of the towns of Harford and Lapeer in 1845. Virgil also lost territory to the towns of Cortlandville and Freetown.
Passages that mention Virgil, cut from the printed page as they were published.
The Aeneid of Virgil. With English notes, critical and explanatory, a metrical clavis, and an historical, geographical and mythological index1881 · page 355Read the page →
Read the text
ncss of Teucer in not having avenged his brother's death, caused him to banish the young prince from his native island. Teucer thereupon retired to Cyprus, where he founded the city of Salamis, called after his home. He was aided, according to Virgil, in effecting this new settlement, by Belus, the father of Dido, and king of Tyre and Sidon. This, however, is a poetic anachronism, in relation to which consult the Life of Virgil at the commencement of thii vohirac. Dido lived, in fact, many hundred years after the Trojan
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The Aeneïd of Virgil, with English notes, critical and explanatory, a metrical clavis, and an historical, geographical, and mythological index1849 · page 355Read the page →
Read the text
Bess of Teoeer in not haying avenged his brother's death, caused him to banish the yocwg prince from his native idand. Teucer thereupon retired to Cyprus, where he founded the city of Salamis, eailed after his home. He was aided, according to Virgil, in effectaig this new settlement, by Belus, the fether of Dido, and king of Tyre and Sidon. This, however, is a poetic anachronism, in relation to which ooasaU the Life of Virgil at the commencement of this ▼aiume. Dido lived, in feet, many hundred years after the Trojan
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.
Timeline
Virgil, 1792 to 1934
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
In 1792, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Virgil’s post office opened in 1811, and the census of 1820 counted 2,411 people here.
How does Virgil rank for history?
Virgil is more historic than 50% 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.
How old are the homes in Virgil?
14% of Virgil’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.6 points), against a typical 27% for a New York 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 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.
