Most of Sophia was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1973. 1 place in town is on the National Register, among them a historic district with 22 buildings.
Founding year: the first Sophia post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1912.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Sophia’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Sophia is more historic than 34% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
C
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Sophia’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 Sophia’s 144 sits above most of its state (74% of West Virginia towns have fewer) while its 22 historic buildings outnumber those of 80% 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 (±6.6 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1912 falls in the same era, so the grade doesn’t depend on which one is used.
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 Sophia’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
A post office called Sophia has been in operation since 1909. The town was named for Sophia McGinnis, the family member of a local civil servant. The town incorporated in 1912.
The area that became Sophia was originally known as Soak Creek. Pyrrhus McGinnis, who received a 2,500-acre land grant from the Commonwealth of Virginia, settled in the area with his family in 1843. Another early settler, Conrad Riffe, also settled along Soak Creek during the same period. The community was later named for Sophia, the third wife of McGinnis.
The Sophia post office opened in 1909, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1912.
How does Sophia rank for history?
Sophia is more historic than 34% 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.
What is on the National Register in Sophia?
One place: the Sophia Historic District (listed 2006).
How old are the homes in Sophia?
6% of Sophia’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.6 points), against a typical 13% for a West Virginia town; the median home was built in 1973.
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 (3), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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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