Falls Church dates to 1733, and 5 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 72% of U.S. towns · #53 of 253 in Virginia. What drives it
Most of Falls Church was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1971. Below: 5 old photos and papers, maps from 1900 on, and the census since 1880.
From Falls Church’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers
How Falls Church began, and where its name came from
When was Falls Church founded?
1733
Falls Church dates its founding to 1733 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1880.
First census: 660 in 18802020 census: 14,658293 years
How did Falls Church get its name?
The independent city of Falls Church is named for the Falls Church, a parish founded in 1734 under the Church of England (later Episcopal Church).
More on the name
The Falls Church was founded at the intersection of important Native American trails that were later paved and named Broad Street, Lee Highway and Little Falls Street. The church's name was derived from its proximity to the Little Falls of the Potomac River, a set of rapids located several miles to the northeast.
How historic is Falls Church?
B+
More historic than 72% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Falls Church is more historic than 72% of U.S. towns, #53 of 253 in Virginia. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Falls Church’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 Falls Church’s 4.1 sits near the middle of its state (47% of Virginia towns have fewer) while its 6 historic buildings outnumber those of 72% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1733.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to A−. The pre-1940 share (±1.6 points) is firm at this size.
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 Falls Church’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first known government in the area was the Iroquois Confederacy. After exploration by Captain John Smith, England began sending colonists to what they called Virginia. While no records have yet been found showing the earliest colony settlement in the area, a cottage demolished between 1908 and 1914, two blocks from the city center, bore a stone engraved with the date "1699" set into one of its two large chimneys.
During the American Revolution, the area is most known for the Falls Church vestrymen George Washington and George Mason. A copy of the United States Declaration of Independence was read to citizens from the steps of the Falls Church during the summer of 1776.
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 1733, according to Wikidata. the census of 1880 counted 660 people here.
How does Falls Church rank for history?
Falls Church is more historic than 72% of U.S. towns, #53 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.
What is on the National Register in Falls Church?
5 listings: 4 buildings, among them the Falls Church (listed 1970, the first), and 1 object. 6 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Falls Church?
6% of Falls Church’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.6 points), against a typical 1.9% for a Virginia town; the median home was built in 1971.
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 (5), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (5), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) 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.
1861
1861
1864
