On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Buchanan is more historic than 88% of U.S. towns. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its share of homes from before 1940 ranks highest and its National Register listings lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Buchanan’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 Buchanan’s 51.2 sits above most of its state (67% of Virginia towns have fewer) while its 7 historic buildings outnumber those of 73% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would still be A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±9.1 points). Two sources give 1832.
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 Buchanan’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The town of Pattonsburg was incorporated in 1788 and was located on the opposite side of the James River. It was named for Colonel James Patton, and was connected to Buchanan via a bridge.
The town of Buchanan was established in 1811; the current town was created in 1882 from a merger of the two towns.
An 1855 gazetteer described Buchanan and Pattonsburg together containing "3 or 4 churches, 1 bank, 1 printing office, and several tobacco factories and mills." Buchanan was named for Virginia colonist John Buchanan (died 1769), a soldier and landowner who built Fort Fauquier on the James River, just south of the town.
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.
In 1832, according to Wikidata. Buchanan’s post office opened in 1805.
How does Buchanan rank for history?
Buchanan is more historic than 88% 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.
What is on the National Register in Buchanan?
Three places: the Wilson Warehouse (listed 1978), the Buchanan Historic District (1999) and the Buchanan Theatre (2019).
How old are the homes in Buchanan?
25% of Buchanan’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±9.1 points), against a typical 1.9% for a Virginia town; the median home was built in 1972.
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 (6), the National Register of Historic Places (3), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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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