On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Brandermill is among the newest of U.S. towns, #229 of 253 in Virginia. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
D−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Brandermill’s overall grade.
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 Brandermill’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (17% of Virginia towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share (±0.3 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: our sources. 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 Brandermill’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Chesterfield County approved the planned community of Brandermill in 1974 and construction began in 1975.
In 1977, Brandermill developers East West Partners (then known as "The Brandermill group") were recognized for their work when Brandermill was named "The Best Planned Community in America" by Better Homes and Gardens and the National Association of Home Builders.
It was the first planned community in Chesterfield County. It has a golf course, a church, and three public schools adjacent to it: Swift Creek Elementary School, Swift Creek Middle School, and Clover Hill High School.
Brandermill is among the newest of U.S. towns, #229 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.
How old are the homes in Brandermill?
0.0% of Brandermill’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 1.9% for a Virginia town; the median home was built in 1987.
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, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps 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.
