Arlington dates to 1801, and 62 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 83% of U.S. towns · #34 of 253 in Virginia. What drives it
Most of Arlington was built recently: 8% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1976. 62 places in town are on the National Register, among them 5 National Historic Landmarks and ten historic districts with 12,036 buildings between them. Below: 9 old photos and papers, maps from 1900 on, and the census since 1800.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1862.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Arlington’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Arlington is more historic than 83% of U.S. towns, #34 of 253 in Virginia. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Arlington’s overall grade.
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Arlington ranks #112 on History.
Virginia towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Virginia town has 3.6 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Arlington’s 520 sits above most of its state (90% of Virginia towns have fewer) while its 12,292 historic buildings outnumber those of 100% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1801.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B to A. The pre-1940 share (±0.5 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 Arlington’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. 5 are National Historic Landmarks, the highest tier. Boundary changes and added documentation are counted with their listing.
Arlington County was inhabited by prehistoric Native American cultures from the arrival of the Paleo-Indians 10,000 years before European colonization. Archeological evidence, including pottery fragments, tools, and arrowheads, suggests sporadic habitation during the Archaic Period, with more permanent communities during the Formative stage and Early Woodland period. Some objects unearthed during archeological digs have been found to be from as far as southern Ontario, indicating the existence of a trade route that ran through the area.
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.
Arlington ChapelchurchClay SchoolschoolDonaldson ParkparkFort BarnardmilitaryFort C F SmithmilitaryFort Ethan AllenmilitaryFort StrongmilitaryHume SchoolschoolKemper Schoolschool
33family graveyards and cemeteries inside Arlington
Arlington NationalBall - CarlinBall FamilyBasil Halls FamilyBerry-Whitehead FamilyBirch - CampbellBirch - Payne FamilyBirch FamilyCallowayColumbia GardensCorbett FamilyCustisDeuterman FamilyDonaldson FamilyDonaldson FamilyHarrison FamilyHicks FamilyLomax AME Zion ChurchMarcey FamilyMary Randolph GraveMills FamilyMinor FamilyMount OlivetPelham FamilyPhillips FamilySaint Charles SchoolShelleySouthern - Shreve FamilySyphax FamilyTomb of the Unknown SoliderWalker ChapelWinslow-Whiting-Wilson FamilyWunder Family
See all 33
Arlington National Cemetery · Ball - Carlin Cemetery · Ball Family Graveyard · Basil Halls Family Graveyard · Berry-Whitehead Family Graveyard · Birch - Campbell Graveyard · Birch - Payne Family Graveyard · Birch Family Graveyard · Calloway Cemetery · Columbia Gardens Cemetery · Corbett Family Graveyard · Custis Burying Ground · Deuterman Family Graveyard · Donaldson Family Graveyard · Donaldson Family Graveyard · Harrison Family Graveyard · Hicks Family Graveyard · Lomax AME Zion Church Cemetery · Marcey Family Graveyard · Mary Randolph Grave · Mills Family Graveyard · Minor Family Cemetery · Mount Olivet Cemetery · Pelham Family Graveyard · Phillips Family Graveyard · Saint Charles School Cemetery · Shelley Graveyard · Southern - Shreve Family Graveyard · Syphax Family Graveyard · Tomb of the Unknown Solider · Walker Chapel Cemetery · Winslow-Whiting-Wilson Family Graveyard · Wunder Family Graveyard
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Help out
Finish Arlington’s story
Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.
Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
In 1801, according to Wikidata. Arlington’s post office opened in 1862, and the census of 1800 counted 5,949 people here.
How does Arlington rank for history?
Arlington is more historic than 83% of U.S. towns, #34 of 253 in Virginia. 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 Arlington?
62 listings, 5 of them National Historic Landmarks: 25 buildings, among them the Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial (listed 1966, the first), 29 historic districts with 12,036 contributing buildings, 1 site, and 6 objects. 12,292 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Arlington?
8% of Arlington’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 1.9% for a Virginia town; the median home was built in 1976.
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 Wikimedia Commons (7), the Library of Congress (2), Wikidata (9), the National Register of Historic Places (62), 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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1864![Freedmans Village near Arlington Hights, Va., July 10th, 1865. Genl. [ground] Plan No. 9](https://images.townratings.com/story/47305/42d3c9eee6cf710f8c37-s.jpg)
1865![Freedmans Village near Arlington Hights, Va., July 10th, 1865. Genl. [ground] Plan No. 9](https://images.townratings.com/story/47305/1ab96d498e70db139c8c-s.jpg)
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