Fort Belvoir dates to 1917, and 2 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 27% of U.S. towns · #138 of 253 in Virginia. What drives it
Most of Fort Belvoir was built recently: 9% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1995. Its Register listings are the Belvoir Mansion Ruins and the Fairfax Grave, the Woodlawn Quaker Meetinghouse and the Woodlawn Plantation. Below: maps from 1913 on.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1849.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Fort Belvoir’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Fort Belvoir is more historic than 27% of U.S. towns, #138 of 253 in Virginia. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
C
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Fort Belvoir’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 Fort Belvoir’s 2.4 sits near the middle of its state (44% of Virginia towns have fewer) while its 2 listings outnumber those of 60% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to B−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.6 points). Two sources give 1917.
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 Fort Belvoir’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The Fort Belvoir site was originally the home of William Fairfax, the cousin and land agent of Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron, the proprietor of the Northern Neck, which stood on land now part of the base. William Fairfax purchased the property in 1738, when his cousin arranged for him to be appointed customs agent (tax collector) for the Potomac River, and William erected an elegant brick mansion overlooking the river, moving in with his family in 1740. Lord Fairfax came to America in 1747 and stayed less than a year at the Belvoir estate before moving to Greenway Court. The Fairfax family lived at Belvoir for over 30 years, but eldest son (and heir) George William Fairfax sailed to England on business in 1773, never to return. The manor home was destroyed by fire in 1783.
In 1917, according to Wikidata. Fort Belvoir’s post office opened in 1849.
How does Fort Belvoir rank for history?
Fort Belvoir is more historic than 27% of U.S. towns, #138 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 Fort Belvoir?
2 listings: 1 building and 2 sites.
How old are the homes in Fort Belvoir?
9% of Fort Belvoir’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.6 points), against a typical 1.9% for a Virginia town; the median home was built in 1995.
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 (3), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.
