Prater, Virginia

Prater is an unincorporated community located in Buchanan County, Virginia. It is near the intersection of Virginia State Route 83 and County Route 604 in the western portion of the county. The community was the home of Russell Prater Elementary School until 2014.

Prater
Unincorporated community
Prater Location within the Commonwealth of Virginia Show map of Virginia Prater Prater (the United States) Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 37°12′56″N 82°11′58″W
Country	United States
State	Virginia
County	Buchanan
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
GNIS feature ID	1499911[1]

A post office was established at Prater in 1877, and remained in operation until it was discontinued in 1965.^[2] According to tradition, Prater was named for the Prater brothers of pioneer settlers.^[3]

References

1. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Prater, Virginia
2. "Buchanan County". Jim Forte Postal History. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
3. Tennis, Joe (2004). Southwest Virginia Crossroads: An Almanac of Place Names and Places to See. The Overmountain Press. p. 4. ISBN 978-1-57072-256-1.