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History · Doran

Doran’s post office opened in 1890, and 48% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1916 on.

1890first post office
0on the National Register
48%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Doran began

When was Doran founded?

1890

The Doran post office opened in 1890, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 113136 years
Founding year: the first Doran post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Doran’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 Doran are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Doran’s homes were built before 1943.On the map since 19166 editions of the USGS map, 1916 to 1978. Watch Doran change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Doran’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story so far

Doran, in brief

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

Doran is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Tazewell County, Virginia, United States. Doran is located along the Clinch River, U.S. Route 460 and Virginia State Route 67 between Richlands and Raven. Doran has a post office with ZIP code 24612. The community was named for Joseph I. Doran, who was the general counsel for the Norfolk and Western Railway. It was first listed as a CDP in the 2020 census with a population of 113.

Its first post office opened in 1890.

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

On the map

Doran on the map, 1916 to 1978

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

Doran on the 1916 USGS mapDoran on the 1935 USGS mapDoran on the 1947 USGS mapDoran on the 1950 USGS mapDoran on the 1968 USGS mapDoran on the 1978 USGS map1916Richlands 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 Doran.

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.

Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
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Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Richlands3 historic placesB+RavenIts storyC−

Questions about Doran’s history

What year was Doran founded?

The Doran post office opened in 1890, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
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 and the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.