Troutville

Botetourt County’s youngest town is Troutville.

The town is larger than the county’s oldest town, Fincastle, by about 100 people. Troutville has around 430 residences; Fincastle has 350.

Troutville was incorporated in 1956. The community is older than that, though.

The Troutville Town Hall was rebuilt in the late 1980s following a disastrous fire. The town hall also houses the town’s volunteer emergency services.

Troutville has a budget of over $310,000, including its utility services. The town has 202 housing units. Those residents have a per capita income of $17,807 and 54.2 percent of them are employed. They spend 21.3 minutes getting to work every day.

The community of Troutville existed well before 1900. One source indicated there was a “Troutsville” post office in the area as early as 1868; a 1879 article in The Fincastle Herald lauds the community for its ability to grow fruit.

One report said the name was changed to “Troutville,” removing the “s,” in 1881, when the railroad came through. In any event, the name apparently refers to families named “Trout” who lived in the area.