More historic than 25% of U.S. towns · #147 of 253 in Virginia. What drives it
Its Register listing is the Ben Lomond. Most of Sudley was built recently: 0.1% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1980. Below: maps from 1951 on.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Sudley is more historic than 25% of U.S. towns, #147 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 Sudley’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 Sudley’s 3.7 sits near the middle of its state (46% of Virginia towns have fewer) while its 7 historic buildings outnumber those of 73% 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 (±0.2 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 Sudley’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.
Hamlets and corners on the map
Bull Run EastCedar ParkHallmark ManorIron GateSudley SquareWest GateWest Gate of LomondWestgate
Gone or out of use
Manassas Airportairport
Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
The story so far
Sudley, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Sudley yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Sudley is a census-designated place (CDP) in Prince William County, Virginia, United States. As of the 2010 census, Sudley comprises what in the 2000 census were the Sudley and West Gate CDPs. As of the 2020 census, Sudley had a population of 19,008. Sudley contains the Splash Down Waterpark. Residents of Sudley are represented in the Virginia House of Delegates by Danica Roem.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 16,203 to 19,008 (+17%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Sudley is more historic than 25% of U.S. towns, #147 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 Sudley?
One place: the Ben Lomond (listed 1980).
How old are the homes in Sudley?
0.1% of Sudley’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 1.9% for a Virginia town; the median home was built in 1980.
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 (1), 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.
2019
