Pearisburg dates to 1808, and 3 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 58% of U.S. towns · #76 of 253 in Virginia. What drives it
Most of Pearisburg was built recently: 1% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1963. 3 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 18 buildings. Below: maps from 1923 on and the census since 1880.
How Pearisburg began, and where its name came from
When was Pearisburg founded?
1808
Pearisburg dates its founding to 1808 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history agree). The census first counted it in 1880.
First census: 285 in 18802020 census: 2,909218 years
How did Pearisburg get its name?
Pearisburg was named after George Pearis, a local landowner who donated a 50-acre (20 ha) tract to be used for a town that would grow up around the county courthouse.
How historic is Pearisburg?
B
More historic than 58% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1853. Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Pearisburg’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Pearisburg is more historic than 58% of U.S. towns, #76 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 Pearisburg’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 Pearisburg’s 73.4 sits above most of its state (70% of Virginia towns have fewer) while its 21 historic buildings outnumber those of 80% of U.S. towns.
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. Two sources give 1808.
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 Pearisburg’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Pearisburg was founded in 1808 when Giles County was established. It was named after George Pearis, a local landowner who donated a 50-acre (20 ha) tract to be used for a town that would grow up around the county courthouse. Pearis had operated a ferry on the New River at a settlement called "Bluff City", which is incorporated into the present boundaries of the town of Pearisburg.
Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds
Pearisburg’s post office has been open since 1853. Another post office, Bluff City, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Pearisburg
1853–today
Bluff City
1887–1961
18501940today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Bluff City
Gone or out of use
Carilion Giles Memorial Hospitalhospital
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Pearisburg
Birchlawn Burial ParkMason French
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Pearisburg’s history
What year was Pearisburg founded?
In 1808, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Pearisburg’s post office opened in 1853, and the census of 1880 counted 285 people here.
How does Pearisburg rank for history?
Pearisburg is more historic than 58% of U.S. towns, #76 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 Pearisburg?
Three places: the Giles County Courthouse (listed 1982), the Andrew Johnston House (1993) and the Pearisburg Historic District (1992).
How old are the homes in Pearisburg?
1% of Pearisburg’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 1963.
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 (6), the National Register of Historic Places (3), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), 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.
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