The Crozet Historic District is situated in the shadow of the Blue Ridge Mountains in western Albemarle County. One of the last villages to be developed in Albemarle County, and still unincorporated, Crozet never featured a formal plat or development plan. Instead, the rural farming community grew as a crossroads village following the establishment of a C&O rail stop named “Crozet” in 1876.  The name was chosen by a railroad executive to honor the French railroad engineer Claudius Crozet (1789-1864) who planned and managed the construction of the nearby Blue Ridge Tunnel. Surrounded by rural farmland, the depot site was chosen due to its proximity to the nearby Miller School, which was established in 1874 about four miles to the south. Commercial and residential buildings were slowly constructed as Crozet grew linearly along the major transportation routes of the railroad, Crozet Avenue and Three Notch’d Road (now U.S. Route 240). Commercial buildings stood at the center of the crossroads, while residential neighborhoods grew primarily around the periphery, along St. George Avenue, Crozet Avenue, Blue Ridge Avenue, and Tabor Street.  The Crozet Historic District provides an intact early-20th century community that is unmatched in Albemarle County.