Welcome to Backbone ...
Backbone is located in Alleghany County<1>.
The location of Backbone has been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (ie- the GNIS).<2>
While we don't have a date for the founding of Backbone, you might consider that their post office opened in 1881.
Backbone is 1,750 feet [533 m] above sea level.<3>.
Time Zone: Backbone lies in the Eastern Time Zone (EST/EDT) and observes daylight saving time
The telephone area code for Backbone: (540)
Communities near Backbone ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Backbone.
- Covington
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Covington have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Covington
- Covington is located in Covington City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,639 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Covington <4>
- Lewisburg
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lewisburg
- Lewisburg is located in Greenbrier County (WV)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,766 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lewisburg <4>
- Clifton Forge
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clifton Forge
- Clifton Forge is located in Alleghany County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,444 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clifton Forge <4>
- White Sulphur Springs
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Sulphur Springs
- White Sulphur Springs is located in Greenbrier County (WV)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,325 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for White Sulphur Springs <4>
- Ronceverte
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ronceverte
- Ronceverte is located in Greenbrier County (WV)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,649 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ronceverte <4>
- Iron Gate
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east) - Falling Spring
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Falling Spring have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falling Spring
- Falling Spring is located in Greenbrier County (WV)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 200 people
- New Castle
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Castle
- New Castle is located in Craig County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 155 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for New Castle <4>
- Tuckahoe
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tuckahoe
- Tuckahoe is located in Greenbrier County (WV)
- Wild Meadow
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wild Meadow
- Wild Meadow is located in Greenbrier County (WV)
To Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
We have a couple of sections for those tracing their genealogy.
We created a list of cemeteries that are in the area around Backbone. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Backbone.
Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Backbone. Our list includes information such as whether the 1895 community had a post office or railroad service. See our List of 1890's Communities around Backbone.
We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Backbone. See our Newspapers Page for Backbone.
TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Backbone ...
Looking for more information about Backbone? A wonderful source is the TripAdvisor website. We always start with the TripAdvisor Tourism page, where you can read an overview with links that will help you find lodging, restaurants and attractions.
While we are unaware of a Tourism page that is specific to Backbone, there are neighboring communities that do have Tourism pages. A map of those communities can be found with our TripAdvisor Page for Backbone.
Adding Backbone to Our Gazetteer ...
We originally found mention of Backbone in both the FIPS-55 and the GNIS. For more information, see the FIPS and GNIS Codes sections on our Miscellaneous Page.
From our notes, the earliest published mention we've found for Backbone was in the document titled List of Post Offices from Cameron Blevins and Richard Helbock.<5>
From that list, the Backbone post office opened in 1881.
We also found Backbone in the book titled Business Atlas and Shippers' Guide (1895).
For more details, see References and Mentions for Backbone.
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Backbone. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Alleghany County: www.co.alleghany.va.us/
The official website for State of Virginia: https://www.virginia.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | If you're interested in how the shape of Virginia's counties, including Alleghany, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. |
| <2> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
| <3> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around Backbone - it will be higher in some places and lower in others. |
| <4> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <5> | A copy of their list with background information can be found at: https://cblevins.github.io/us-post-offices/data-biography/ |