Fairfax County, Virginia
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| Fairfax County, Virginia | |
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| Map | |
 Location in the state of Virginia |
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 Virginia's location in the USA |
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| Statistics | |
| Founded | 1742 |
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| Seat | Fairfax |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
407 sq mi (1,053 km²) 395 sq mi (1,023 km²) 12 sq mi (30 km²), 2.85% |
| Population - (2005) - Density |
1,041,200 2636/sq mi (1018/km²) |
| Time zone | Eastern : UTC-5/-4 |
| Website: www.fairfaxcounty.gov | |
| Named for: Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron | |
Fairfax County is a county in Northern Virginia, in the United States. As of 2005, the estimated population of the county is 1,041,200[1]; making it by far the most populous county in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and one of the largest in the United States. It is the most populous jurisdiction in the Greater Washington Area, surpassing the population of Washington, D.C. by about 450,000 residents, and Baltimore by 350,000 residents. It has the second highest median household income ($94,610) in the United States, behind its neighbor Loudoun County[2]. Fairfax county straddles the Capital Beltway.
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[edit] 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 (1693-1781), 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 Sixth Lord Fairfax, 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.[1]
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.
The growth of the Federal Government in the years during and after World War II spurred rapid growth in the county. As a result, the once rural county began to become increasingly suburban. Other large businesses continued to settle in Fairfax County and the opening of Tysons Corner Center spurred the rise of Tysons Corner itself. The technology boom and a steady government-driven economy also created rapid growth and an increasingly growing and diverse population. The economy has also made Fairfax County one of the wealthiest counties in the nation.
[edit] Geography
Fairfax County is bounded on the north and southeast by the Potomac River; across the river to the northeast is Washington, DC, across the river to the north is Montgomery County, Maryland, across the river to the southeast are Prince George's County, Maryland and Charles County, Maryland; it is also 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 and the independent cities of Manassas and Manassas Park.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,053 km² (407 mi²). 1,023 km² (395 mi²) of it is land and 30 km² (12 mi²) of it (2.85%) is water.
[edit] Government and politics
| Year | Republican | Democrat |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 45.9% 211,980 | 53.3% 245,671 |
| 2000 | 48.9% 202,181 | 47.5% 196,501 |
| 1996 | 48.2% 176,033 | 46.6% 170,150 |
| 1992 | 44.3% 170,488 | 41.6% 160,186 |
| 1988 | 61.1% 200,641 | 38.3 125,711 |
| 1984 | 62.9% 183,181 | 36.8 107,295 |
| 1980 | 57.4% 137,620 | 30.8% 73,734 |
| 1976 | 53.6% 110,424 | 44.7% 92,037 |
| 1972 | 66.3% 112,135 | 32.4% 54,844 |
| 1968 | 49.0% 57,462 | 38.2% 44,796 |
| 1964 | 38.7% 30,755 | 61.2% 48,680 |
| 1960 | 51.7% 26,064 | 48.1% 28,006 |
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.
Fairfax County was once considered a strong Republican bastion in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. However, Democrats have increasingly made inroads in Fairfax County in the past decade, having gained control of the Board of Supervisors and the School Board (which is officially nonpartisan) as well as the offices of Sheriff and Commonwealth Attorney. Democrats also control the majority of Fairfax seats in the House of Delegates and State Senate.
Republicans currently control two of the three congressional seats that include parts of Fairfax County. Communities closer to Washington D.C. generally favor Democrats by a larger margin than the outlying communities. In 2000, 2001, and 2005 Fairfax County voted Democratic in the races for Senate and governor. In 2004, John Kerry won the county; the first Democrat to do so since Lyndon Johnson in his 1964 landslide (the last time Democrats carried the state). Kerry defeated Bush in the county 53% to 46%.
Democratic Governor Tim Kaine carried Fairfax County with over 60% of the vote in 2005, leading him to win over 51% of votes statewide.
On November 7, 2006, Senator James H. Webb (D-VA) carried the county with about 58.9% of the votes (from the Virginia Commonwealth site).
| Position | Name | Party | First Election | District | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chairman | Gerry Connolly | Democratic Party | 2003 | At-Large | |
| Member | Sharon Bulova | Democratic Party | 1987 | Braddock | |
| Member | Joan DuBois | Republican Party | 2003 | Dranesville | |
| Member | Cathy Hudgins | Democratic Party | 1999 | Hunter Mill | |
| Member | Dana Kaufmann | Democratic Party | 1995 | Lee | |
| Member | Penelope Gross | Democratic Party | 1995 | Mason | |
| Member | Gerald Hyland | Democratic Party | 1988 | Mount Vernon | |
| Member | Linda Smyth | Democratic Party | 2003 | Providence | |
| Member | Elaine McConnell | Republican Party | 1983 | Springfield | |
| Member | Michael Frey | Republican Party | 1991 | Sully | |
| Office | Name | Party and District | First Election | Next Election | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delegate | Vince Callahan | Republican Party (34) | 1967 | 2007 | |
| Delegate | Steve Shannon [2] | Democratic Party (35) | 2003 | 2007 | |
| Delegate | Ken Plum [3] | Democratic Party (36) | 1977 | 2007 | |
| Delegate | David Bulova [4] | Democratic Party (37) | 2005 | 2007 | |
| Delegate | Bob Hull [5] | Democratic Party (38) | 1993 | 2007 | |
| Delegate | Vivian Watts [6] | Democratic Party (39) | 1995 | 2007 | |
| Delegate | Tim Hugo [7] | Republican Party (40) | 2001 | 2007 | |
| Delegate | Dave Marsden [8] | Democratic Party (41) | 2005 | 2007 | |
| Delegate | Dave Albo [9] | Republican Party (42) | 1993 | 2007 | |
| Delegate | Mark Sickles [10] | Democratic Party (43) | 2003 | 2007 | |
| Delegate | Kris Amundson [11] | Democratic Party (44) | 2001 | 2007 | |
| Delegate | David Englin [12] | Democratic Party (45) | 2005 | 2007 | |
| Delegate | Brian Moran [13] | Democratic Party (46) | 1995 | 2007 | |
| Delegate | Adam Ebbin [14] | Democratic Party (49) | 2003 | 2007 | |
| Delegate | Jim Scott | Democratic Party (53) | 1991 | 2007 | |
| Delegate | Carmin "Chuck" Caputo [15] | Democratic Party (67) | 2005 | 2007 | |
| Delegate | Tom Rust [16] | Republican Party (86) | 2001 | 2007 | |
[edit] Demographics
| Historical populations | |
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| Census year |
Population |
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| 1790 | 12,320 |
| 1800 | 13,317 |
| 1810 | 13,111 |
| 1820 | 11,404 |
| 1830 | 9,204 |
| 1840 | 9,370 |
| 1850 | 10,682 |
| 1860 | 11,834 |
| 1870 | 12,952 |
| 1880 | 16,025 |
| 1890 | 16,655 |
| 1900 | 18,580 |
| 1910 | 20,536 |
| 1920 | 21,943 |
| 1930 | 25,264 |
| 1940 | 40,929 |
| 1950 | 98,557 |
| 1960 | 275,002 |
| 1970 | 455,021 |
| 1980 | 595,754 |
| 1990 | 818,584 |
| 2000 | 969,749 |
| 2005 | 1,041,200 |
As of the census² of 2000, there were 969,749 people, 350,714 households, and 250,409 families residing in the county. The population density was 948/km² (2,455/mi²). There were 359,411 housing units at an average density of 351/km² (910/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 72.91% White, 8.83% Black or African American, 0.26% Native American, 13.00% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 4.54% from other races, and 3.65% from two or more races. 11.03% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Fairfax County is home to people from diverse backgrounds with significant number of Korean-Americans, Indian-Americans, Iranian-Americans, Jewish-Americans, Pakistani-Americans and Vietnamese-Americans along with other Americans of Asian descent. There is a sizeable Latino population primarily consisting of Salvadorians, Peruvians and Bolivians.
There are 350,714 households, of which 36.30% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.40% were married couples living together, 8.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.60% were non-families. 21.40% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74 and the average family size was 3.20.
In the county, the population was spread out with 25.40% under the age of 18, 7.50% from 18 to 24, 33.90% from 25 to 44, 25.30% from 45 to 64, and 7.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 98.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.20 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $81,050, and the median income for a family was $92,146. Males had a median income of $60,503 versus $41,802 for females. The per capita income for the county was $36,888. About 3.00% of families and 4.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.20% of those under age 18 and 4.00% of those age 65 or over.
Judged by median income, Fairfax County was the richest county in the country for many years but was in the 2000 census overtaken by Douglas County, Colorado. According to US Census Bureau estimates for 2005, it had the second-highest median household income behind neighboring Loudoun County, Va., at $94,610.
[edit] Education
The county is served by the Fairfax County Public Schools system, to which the county government allocates 52.2% of its fiscal budget[3]. Including state and federal government contributions, along with citizen and corporate contributions, this brings the 2006 fiscal budget for the school system to $2.1 billion[4]. The school system has estimated that, based on the 2006 fiscal budget, the county will be spending $11,915 in each student this year.
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 in Fairfax City, near the geographic center of Fairfax County. Northern Virginia Community College serves Fairfax County with campuses in Annandale and Springfield.
[edit] Economy
The economy of Fairfax County is a robust service economy. Fairfax most heavily relies on the Federal Government. Many citizens 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. The top 5 largest private employers are the Inova Health System, Northrop Grumman, Booz Allen Hamilton, SAIC (Science Applications International Corporation) and Freddie Mac. Fairfax County also is home to several large companies such as Sprint Nextel, Gannett, Capital One, General Dynamics, Exxon-Mobil, NVR, and Freddie Mac.
Tysons Corner is Virginia’s largest office market and one of the leading business centers in the nation with 25.7 million square feet of office space.[5]
[edit] Transportation
[edit] 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.
[edit] 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.
[edit] Public Transportation
Fairfax County operates its own bus service called the Fairfax Connector. It is also served by WMATA's metrobus service. Fairfax County is served by the Washington Metro. The Orange, Blue, Yellow and the planned Silver lines all serve Fairfax County. In addition, VRE (Virginia Railway Express) also serves Fairfax County with stations in Lorton and Franconia-Springfield.
[edit] Biking/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.
The Fairfax Cross County Trail runs from Great Falls National Park in the northern end of the county to Occoquan Regional Park in the southern end.
[edit] 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.
Other communities within Fairfax County are unincorporated areas; Virginia law prohibits the creation of any new municipalities within any county with a population density of over 1,000 per square mile (which currently only affects Fairfax and Arlington Counties in Northern Virginia, and recently Henrico County outside Richmond). As of the 2000 census the thirteen largest communities of Fairfax County are all unincorporated CDPs, the largest of which are Burke, Reston, and Annandale, each with a population exceeding 50,000. (The largest incorporated place in the county is the town of Herndon, its fourteenth-largest community.)
[edit] Unincorporated Census Designated Places
The following localities within Fairfax County are identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as (unincorporated) Census-Designated Places:
[edit] Other localities
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[edit] Famous people from Fairfax County
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[edit] Trivia
- The movie Donnie Darko is set in Fairfax County
- The animated television series American Dad! is set in the fictional town "Langley Falls"; the town name is a composite of Langley, Virginia and Great Falls, Virginia, both of which are located in Fairfax County.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Economic and Demographic Information - Fairfax County
- ^ Washington area tops for median household income
- ^ FY 2007 Advertised Budget Plan
- ^ Budget Services - Fairfax County Public Schools
- ^ Doing Business in Fairfax County Commercial Real Estate http://www.fairfaxcountyeda.org/re_tysons.htm
General Election November 7, 2006 Enrollment Annual Factbook January 21, 2007
[edit] External links
- Official Site of the County of Fairfax
- Fairfax County Visitors Center
- Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce
- Fairfax Crime - a crime map of most of Northern Virginia and sex offender locations
- Celebrate Fairfax
- Fairfax County Department of Tax Administration - Property lookup database
- Fairfax County Economic Development Authority
- Fairfax County Government Website
- Fairfax County Public Library System
- Fairfax County Public Schools
- Fairfax Underground - a message board designed to improve communication between residents of Northern Virginia
