Emory’s post office opened in 1847, and 1 of its places is on the National Register
More historic than 71% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Most of Emory was built recently: 7% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1996. 1 place in town is on the National Register, among them a historic district with 10 buildings.
How Emory began
When was Emory founded?
The Emory post office opened in 1847, the earliest record of the town by name.
How historic is Emory?
More historic than 71% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
What drives Emory’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Emory is more historic than 71% of U.S. towns. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
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 Emory’s 70.5 sits above most of its state (69% of Virginia towns have fewer) while its 10 historic buildings outnumber those of 76% of U.S. towns.
Founding year: the first post office (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 →
1 listing protects 10 historic buildings
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
History across the town line
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
Questions about Emory’s history
What year was Emory founded?
The Emory post office opened in 1847, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Emory rank for history?
Emory is more historic than 71% 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 Emory?
One place: the Emory and Henry College (listed 1989).
How old are the homes in Emory?
7% of Emory’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.9 points), against a typical 1.9% for a Virginia town; the median home was built in 1996.
Memory lane
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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).
From the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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.