The Enterprise post office opened in 1875, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Viropa (1901), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
2020 census: 805151 years
How historic is Enterprise?
C+
More historic than 37% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Enterprise post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).
History grade
What drives Enterprise’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Enterprise is more historic than 37% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Enterprise’s overall grade.
West Virginia towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical West Virginia town has 29.6 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Enterprise’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (17% of West 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 B−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±9.9 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 Enterprise’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 Enterprise. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1902Clarksburg 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 Enterprise.
The story so far
Enterprise, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Enterprise yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Enterprise is a census-designated place (CDP) in Harrison County, West Virginia, United States, along the West Fork River. The population was 805 at the 2020 census (down from 961 at the 2010 census).
Its first post office opened in 1875. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 961 to 805 (-16%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Enterprise, 1875 to 1930
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
The Enterprise post office opened in 1875, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Enterprise rank for history?
Enterprise is more historic than 37% of U.S. towns. 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 Enterprise?
20% of Enterprise’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±9.9 points), against a typical 13% for a West Virginia town; the median home was built in 1979.
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 U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.
