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Fairfax County History Fairfax County was formed in 1742 from the northern part of Prince William County. It was named for Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron (16931781), proprietor of the Northern Neck. The oldest settlements in Fairfax County were  located along the Potomac River. George Washington settled in Fairfax County and built his home, Mount Vernon facing the river. Gunston Hall, the home of George Mason is located nearby. Modern Fort Belvoir is partly located on the estate of Belvoir Manor, built along the Potomac by William Fairfax in 1741. Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron, the only member of the British nobility ever to reside in the colonies, lived at Belvoir before he moved to the Shenandoah Valley. The Belvoir mansion and several of its outbuildings were destroyed by fire immediately after the Revolutionary War in 1783, and George Washington noted the plantation complex gradually deteriorated into ruins. In 1757, the northwestern two-thirds of Fairfax County became Loudoun County. In 1789, part of Fairfax County was ceded to the federal government to form Alexandria County of the District of Columbia. Alexandria County was returned to Virginia in 1846, reduced in size by the secession of the independent city of Alexandria in 1870, and renamed Arlington County in 1920. The Fairfax County town of Falls Church became an independent city in 1948. The Fairfax County town of Fairfax became an independent city in 1961. Located near Washington, D.C., Fairfax County was an important region in the Civil War. The Battle of Chantilly or Ox Hill, during the same campaign as the second Battle of Bull Run, was fought within the county; Bull Run straddles the border between Fairfax and Prince William County. For most of the Civil War, Union troops occupied the county, though the population remained sympathetic to the Confederacy. Geography Fairfax County is bounded on the north and southeast by the Potomac River. Across the river to the northeast is Washington, D.C., across the river to the north is Montgomery County, Maryland, and across the river to the southeast are Prince George's County, Maryland and Charles County, Maryland. The county is partially bounded on the north and east by Arlington County and the independent cities of Alexandria and Falls Church. It is bound on the west by Loudoun County, and on the south by Prince William County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 407 square miles (1,053 kmē), of which, 395 square miles (1,023 kmē) of it is land and 12 square miles (30 kmē) of it (2.85%) is water. Government The county is divided into nine supervisor districts: Braddock, Dranesville, Hunter Mill, Lee, Mason, Mount Vernon, Providence, Springfield, and Sully. The supervisor districts each elect one supervisor to the Board of Supervisors which governs Fairfax County. There is also a Chairman elected by the county at-large. Education The county is served by the Fairfax County Public Schools system. The Fairfax County Public School system contains the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, a Virginia Governor's School. TJHSST consistently ranks at or near the top of all United States high schools due to the extraordinary number of National Merit Semi-Finalists and Finalists, the high average SAT scores of its students, and the number of students who annually perform nationally recognized research in the sciences and engineering. George Mason University is located just outside Fairfax City, near the geographic center of Fairfax County. Northern Virginia Community College serves Fairfax County with campuses in Annandale and Springfield and a center in Reston which is a satellite branch of the Loudoun campus. Economy Time magazine columnist Justin Fox in 2007 called Fairfax County "ome of the great economic success stories of our time." A U.S. Department of Labor study published in 2007 described Fairfax County as the second "economic pillar" of the Washington-are economy along with the District of Columbia. Fairfax County is, along with Washington, a core employment jusisdiction of the Washington Metropolitan Area. The economy of Fairfax County is a robust service economy. Many residents work for the government or for contractors of the Federal Government. Defense contractors in particular are prominent. The government is the largest employer with Fort Belvoir in southern Fairfax being the county's single largest employer. Roads  Several major highways run through Fairfax County, including the Capital Beltway (Interstate 495), Interstate 66, Interstate 95, and Interstate 395. The American Legion Bridge connects Fairfax to Montgomery County, Maryland. The George Washington Memorial Parkway, Dulles Toll Road, and Fairfax County Parkway are also major arteries. Other notable roads include Braddock Road, Old Keene Mill Road, Little River Turnpike, State Routes 7, 28, and 123, and US Routes 1, 29, and 50. Air Washington Dulles International Airport lies partly within Fairfax County and provides most air service to the county. Fairfax is also served by two other airports in the Washington area, Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport. Manassas Regional Airport, in neighboring Prince William County, is also used for regional cargo and private jet service. Public transportation Fairfax County contracts its bus service called the Fairfax Connector to Veolia Transportation. It is also served by WMATA's metrobus service. Fairfax County is served by the Washington Metro trains. The Orange, Blue, Yellow and the planned Silver lines all serve Fairfax County. In addition, VRE (Virginia Railway Express) provides commuter rail service with stations in Lorton and Franconia-Springfield. Biking and walking The county maintains many miles of bike trails running through parks, adjacent to roads and through towns such as Vienna and Herndon. The Washington & Old Dominion Railroad Trail runs through Fairfax County, offering one of the region's best, and safest, routes for recreational walking and biking. Towns, independent cities, and other localities Three incorporated towns, Clifton, Herndon, and Vienna, are located within Fairfax County. The independent cities of Falls Church and Fairfax were formed out of areas formerly under the jurisdiction of Fairfax County, but are politically separate, despite the status of the City of Fairfax as county seat. Fairfax County contains an exclave located in the central business district of the City of Fairfax, in which many county facilities (including the courthouses and jail) are located. Unincorporated Census Designated Places The following localities within Fairfax County are identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as (unincorporated) Census-Designated Places: Annandale, Bailey's Crossroads, Belle Haven, Burke, Centreville, Chantilly, Dunn Loring, Fort Belvoir, Fort Hunt, Franconia, Great Falls, Groveton, Huntington, Hybla Valley, Idylwood ,Jefferson, Lake Barcroft, Lincolnia, Lorton, Mantua, McLean, Merrifield, Mount Vernon, Newington, North Springfield, Oakton, Pimmit Hills, Reston, Rose Hill, Seven Corners, Springfield, Tysons Corner, West Springfield, Wolf Trap Other localities: Accotink, Arcturus, Barkers, Crossroads, Blevinstown, Browns Mill, Butts Corner, Cobbs Corner, Colchester, Colchester Hunt, Comptons Corner, Cooktown, Crowells Corner, Culmore, Donovans Corner, Doveville, Dranesville, Fair Lakes, Fairfax Station, Farrs Corner, Five Forks, Four Corners, Hattontown, Jermantown, Kings Park, Kingstowne, Langley, Lees Corner, Lewinsville, Lewis Park, Makleys Corner, Mason Neck, Matildaville, New Alexandria, Oak Hill, Odricks Corner, Pohick, Schneider, Crossroads, Shady Oak, Strathmeade Spring, Sunset Hills, Uniontown, Virginia Hills, Westhampton Learn more about Fairfax County, Virgina... Fairfax County, VA (official website) Fairfax County Public Schools Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce Fairfax County, VA Weather The Commonwealth of Virginia Fairfax County VA real estate, Fairfax County real estate, Fairfax County homes for sale, Fairfax County, VA real estate, Greater Washington real estate, Fairfax County homes, Fairfax County properties, Fairfax County property, single family homes in Fairfax County
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