More historic than 11% of U.S. towns · #184 of 253 in Virginia. What drives it
Most of Triangle was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1998. Below: 19 old photos and papers, maps from 1927 on, and the census since 1960.
Founding year: the first Triangle post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).
History grade
What drives Triangle’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Triangle is more historic than 11% of U.S. towns, #184 of 253 in Virginia. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Triangle’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 Triangle’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (17% of Virginia towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D− to C−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.2 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (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 Triangle’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Triangle yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Triangle is a census-designated place (CDP) in southeastern Prince William County, Virginia, United States. The population was 9,589 at the 2020 census. It is bounded to the south by the Marine Corps Base Quantico, which surrounds the town of Quantico. Part of the National Capital Region, it is approximately 32 miles southwest of Washington, D.C.
Its first post office opened in 1936. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 8,188 to 9,589 (+17%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
On the map
Triangle on the map, 1927 to 1994
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Triangle. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1927Quantico 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 Triangle.
Then & now
Stand where they stood
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.
Retake this viewChopawamsic Recreational Demonstration Area - Cabin Camp 1, Prince William Forest Park
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Triangle’s page.
The Triangle post office opened in 1936, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Triangle rank for history?
Triangle is more historic than 11% of U.S. towns, #184 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.
How old are the homes in Triangle?
6% of Triangle’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.2 points), against a typical 1.9% for a Virginia town; the median home was built in 1998.
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 (7), the Library of Congress (19), 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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