1 of Woodlawn’s places is on the National Register
More historic than 18% of U.S. towns · #166 of 253 in Virginia. What drives it
Its Register listing is the Pope-Leighey House. Most of Woodlawn was built recently: 0.8% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1975. Below: maps from 1913 on.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Woodlawn is more historic than 18% of U.S. towns, #166 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 Woodlawn’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 Woodlawn’s 0.5 sits near the middle of its state (37% of Virginia towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% 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 (±0.7 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 Woodlawn’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 Woodlawn. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1913Indian Head 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 Woodlawn.
The story so far
Woodlawn, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Woodlawn yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Woodlawn is a census-designated place in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. The population as of the 2010 census was 20,804. It was carved out of the Mount Vernon CDP beginning with the 2010 census, from the west it goes from Fort Belvoir to Little Hunting Creek stretching along U.S. Route 1 on the south and Huntley Meadows Park on the north. Historic Woodlawn Plantation occupies the southwestern corner. Fairfax County Park Authority operates neighborhood parks in the area.
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Woodlawn is more historic than 18% of U.S. towns, #166 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 Woodlawn?
One place: the Pope-Leighey House (listed 1970).
How old are the homes in Woodlawn?
0.8% of Woodlawn’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 1.9% for a Virginia town; the median home was built in 1975.
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 (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.
2016
2016
2016
2014
2014
2002
