RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
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Welcome to Somerset ...

Somerset is located in Orange County<1>.

While we don't have a date for the founding of Somerset, you might consider that their post office opened in 1853.

Somerset is 410 feet [125 m] above sea level.<2>.

Time Zone: Somerset lies in the Eastern Time Zone (EST/EDT) and observes daylight saving time

Area Codes for Somerset: 540 & 826<3>

The ZIP code for Somerset: 22972<4>

Communities Also Named Somerset ...

Using our Gazetteer, we found that there are two Virginia communities named Somerset: This one is located in Orange County and the other is located in Chesterfield County.

Beyond Virginia, there are 46 communities that are also named Somerset - they are located in Alabama, California (2), Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois (3), Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Manitoba, Maryland (7), Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri (2), Nebraska, New Jersey (3), New York, Newfoundland and Labrador, North Carolina (3), Nova Scotia (3), Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas (2), Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin.

For more information, see our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Somerset.

Communities near Somerset ...

We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Somerset.

  • Charlottesville
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
  • Orange
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Louisa
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Gordonsville
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Stanardsville
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Madison
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
  • Barboursville
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Madison Run
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Madison Run is located in Orange County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Madison Run
  • Burnt Tree
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Burnt Tree is located in Madison County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnt Tree
  • Dawsonville
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Dawsonville is located in Greene County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dawsonville

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 Somerset. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Somerset.

Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Somerset. 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 Somerset.

We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Somerset. See our Newspapers Page for Somerset.

TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Somerset ...

Looking for more information about Somerset? 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.

In addition to the Tourism page for Somerset, there are neighboring communities that also have Tourism pages. More information about those communities can be found on our TripAdvisor Page for Somerset.

Adding Somerset to Our Gazetteer ...

We originally found mention of Somerset 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 (so far) for Somerset was in the document titled List of Post Offices from Cameron Blevins and Richard Helbock.<6>

From that list, the Somerset post office opened in 1853.

For more details, see References and Mentions for Somerset.

Footnotes ...

<1>If you're interested in how the shape of Virginia's counties, including Orange, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
<2>The elevation is an estimate for the area around Somerset - it will be higher in some places and lower in others.
<3>When there's a risk of an area code running out of phone numbers, an 'Overlay Area Code' is created that has the same geographic boundaries as the existing area code. In this case, the 540 code has been Overlayed with the 826 area code. New phone numbers in the Somerset area will be assigned with one of these codes: 540 or 826. As a result, placing a call in the Somerset area will require 10-digit dialing (where you enter both the area code and then the phone number).
<4>ZIP Codes have been created by the United States Postal Service (USPS) as a way of grouping addresses to make delivery more efficient. The boundaries of the ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned, eliminated or overlapped with other ZIP Codes. So keep in mind that any given ZIP Code is only 'loosely' associated with a community (such as Somerset). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether Somerset or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS).
<5>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<6>A copy of the Blevins & Helbock Post Office list with background information can be found at:

      https://cblevins.github.io/us-post-offices/data-biography/