More historic than 7% of U.S. towns · #198 of 253 in Virginia. What drives it
Most of Dahlgren was built recently: 1% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1991. Below: 1 old photo or paper and maps from 1948 on.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Dahlgren is more historic than 7% of U.S. towns, #198 of 253 in Virginia. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
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HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Dahlgren’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 Dahlgren’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 (±1.4 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 Dahlgren’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Since 1918, Dahlgren has been the site of a U.S. naval base named for Rear Admiral John A. Dahlgren. It was first the "U.S. Naval Proving Ground" but was renamed the "U.S. Naval Weapons Laboratory" after 1950, the "Naval Surface Weapons Center" in 1974, the "Naval Surface Warfare Center" in 1987, and the "U.S. Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD)" around 1990. In 2006, it was renamed "Naval Support Activity-South Potomac (NSA-SP)", with NSWCDD becoming a tenant command of the base. The U.S. Naval Space Surveillance Systems command was located at that base, but that responsibility was transferred to the Air Force in 2004. The AEGIS Training and Readiness Center is currently a tenant command at NSA-SP. The naval base lies just east of the Dahlgren CDP within its own census-designated place, Dahlgren Center.
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.
Dahlgren is more historic than 7% of U.S. towns, #198 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 Dahlgren?
1% of Dahlgren’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.4 points), against a typical 1.9% for a Virginia town; the median home was built in 1991.
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 (12), 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.
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