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History · Vail

The history of Vail

Below: maps from 1923 on.

0on the National Register
0.0%homes built before 1940
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What stands out about Vail’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 Vail are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19237 editions of the USGS map, 1923 to 1994. Watch Vail change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Vail’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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On the map

Vail on the map, 1923 to 1994

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Vail. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Vail on the 1923 USGS mapVail on the 1933 USGS mapVail on the 1946 USGS mapVail on the 1963 USGS mapVail on the 1972 USGS mapVail on the 1981 USGS mapVail on the 1994 USGS map1923Tyrone sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Vail.

The story so far

Vail, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Vail yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Vail is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Blair County, Pennsylvania, United States. It was first listed as a CDP prior to the 2020 census. The CDP is in northern Blair County, in the eastern part of Snyder Township. It is bordered to the northwest by Bald Eagle Creek and to the southeast by Interstate 99/U.S. Route 220. South Eagle Valley Road (old US 220) is the main road through the community; it leads southwest 9 miles (14 km) to Tyrone and northeast 2 miles (3 km) to Bald Eagle.

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

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Famous people

Famous people close to Vail

Nobody well known was born in Vail itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Fred WaringAmerican musician · b. 1900
E
Ethan StiefelAmerican ballet dancer · b. 1973
Farran ZerbeAmerican numismatist · b. 1871
Dick SmithMajor League Baseball infielder · b. 1926
Raymond M. FuossUS chemist · b. 1905
R
Richard IrvinAmerican politician · b. 1971

Questions about Vail’s history

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 U.S. Geological Survey historical maps. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.