The Downtown Chilhowie Historic District is a small commercial center along the Interstate 81 corridor in southwest Virginia’s Smyth County. The advent of the railroad in the mid-19th-century stimulated the construction of the first industries and stores in the area, and a number of substantial brick and weatherboarded houses were built by nearby farming families. The exclusively commercial buildings primarily date from 1900 to 1930, reflecting the era of Chilhowie’s founding in the late-19th-century, during which time industrial, commercial, and residential growth transformed the community from a depot village to a small regional center.