More historic than 24% of U.S. towns · #150 of 253 in Virginia. What drives it
Its Register listing is the Merrybrook. Most of McNair was built recently: 0.5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2003. Below: maps from 1915 on.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, McNair is more historic than 24% of U.S. towns, #150 of 253 in Virginia. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of McNair’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 McNair’s 1.8 sits near the middle of its state (43% of Virginia towns have fewer) while its 4 historic buildings outnumber those of 68% 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 (±0.6 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 McNair’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of McNair. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1915Fairfax 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 McNair.
The story so far
McNair, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of McNair yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
McNair is a census-designated place located in the Oak Hill section of Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. It is directly to the east of Washington Dulles International Airport. The population as of the 2020 census was 21,598. Much of the population resides in the McNair Farms planned community. The community has a school called McNair Elementary. McNair is also home to the Dulles Corner Business Park, home to the headquarters of Airbus Group, Inc. and Northrop Grumman Technical Services.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 17,513 to 21,598 (+23%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
McNair is more historic than 24% of U.S. towns, #150 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 McNair?
One place: the Merrybrook (listed 2007).
How old are the homes in McNair?
0.5% of McNair’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 1.9% for a Virginia town; the median home was built in 2003.
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 (26), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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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