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Old Virginia south of Knob, Rich CreekPhoto: Nyttend · Public domain
–Not graded
History · Rich Creek

Rich Creek’s post office opened in 1908, and 25% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1932 on and the census since 1950.

1908first post office
0on the National Register
25%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Nyttend · Public domain
Quick answers

How Rich Creek began

When was Rich Creek founded?

1908

The Rich Creek post office opened in 1908, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 740 in 19502020 census: 749118 years
Founding year: the first Rich Creek post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Rich Creek’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Rich Creek are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Rich Creek’s homes were built before 1949.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Rich Creek’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Rich Creek’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story so far

Rich Creek, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Rich Creek yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Rich Creek is a town in Giles County, Virginia, United States. As of the 2020 census, Rich Creek had a population of 749. It is part of the Blacksburg-Christiansburg metropolitan area.

Its first post office opened in 1908. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 774 to 749 (-3%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

By decade

Rich Creek, decade by decade

Today6 recent
Rich Creek First Baptist Church2017Rich Creek First Baptist ChurchOld Virginia south of Knob2017Old Virginia south of KnobOld Virginia north of Knob2017Old Virginia north of Knob2017-06-11 14 30 48 View north along U.S. Route 219 (Federal Street) at Church Street in20172017-06-11 14 30 48 View north along U.S. Route 219 (…Mutt's Furniture rooster2011Mutt's Furniture roosterVAMap-doton-RichCreek2005VAMap-doton-RichCreek
On the map

Rich Creek on the map, 1932 to 1984

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Rich Creek. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Rich Creek on the 1932 USGS mapRich Creek on the 1965 USGS mapRich Creek on the 1976 USGS mapRich Creek on the 1984 USGS map1932Narrows 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 Rich Creek.

People over time

Rich Creek, census by census

02004006008001960198020002020Peak: 774

Between 665 and 774 people in every census since 1950.

8 censuses, 1950–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Rich Creek’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

Famous people close to Rich Creek

Nobody well known was born in Rich Creek itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
John Forbes NashAmerican mathematician and economist · b. 1928
Sylvia BurwellFormer United States Secretary of Health and Hu… · b. 1965
John B. FloydAmerican politician · b. 1806
Norman I. PlatnickAmerican arachnologist · b. 1951
John Davis ChandlerAmerican actor · b. 1935
C
Charlie BarnettAmerican actor and comedian · b. 1954

Questions about Rich Creek’s history

What year was Rich Creek founded?

The Rich Creek post office opened in 1908, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

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). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (6), 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.