Fairfax County Virginia History Geography Districts

Fairfax County was formed in 1742 from the northern part of Prince William County. It was named for Thomas Fairfax, 6th Baron Fairfax of Cameron (1693-1781), proprietor of the Northern Neck.

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 1846Events January 5 The United States House of Representatives votes to stop sharing the Oregon Territory with the United Kingdom February 5 The Oregon Spectator becomes the first newspaper on the Pacific coast of the United States. February 10 Many Mormons, reduced in size by the secession of the independent cityAn independent city is a city in the United States of America that does not belong to any county. It should not be confused with a consolidated city-county in which both city and county government are merged under the laws of the State, but which may cont of AlexandriaAlexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 128,283. It is located on the west bank of the Potomac River, six miles below Washington, DC. This city is a part of the Washingto in 1870, and renamed Arlington CountyArlington County is a county located in the U. Commonwealth of Virginia, directly across the Potomac River from Washington, DC. As of 2000, the population is 189,453. Its county seat is the census-designated place of Arlington 6. Strictly speaking, it is in 19201920 is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar) Events January January 7 Forces of Russian White admiral Kolchak surrender in Krasnoyarsk. January 9 Britain announces it will build 100,000 homes for war veterans. January 10 Leagu. The Fairfax County town of Falls ChurchFalls Church is an independent city located in Virginia. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 10,377. This city is a part of the Washington-Baltimore Metropolitan Area. A much larger number of people reside in Greater Falls Church and became an independent city in 19481948 is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). Events January January 1 Nationalisation of UK railways to form British Railways. Arab militants lay siege to the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem. First day of the Ital.

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 straddled the border between Fairfax and Prince William County. For most of the Civil War, Union troops controlled the county, though the population remained sympathetic to the Confederacy.

2 Geography

Fairfax County is bounded on the north by the Potomac River; across the river is the City of Washington, DC; it is also partially bounded on the north and east by Arlington County and the 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 1,053 km² (407 mi²). 1,023 km² (395 mi²) of it is land and 30 km² (12 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 2.85% water.

2.1 Districts

The county is divided into nine supervisor districts: Braddock, Dranesville, Hunter Mill, Lee, Mason, Mount Vernon, Providence, Springfield, and Sully.

3 Demographics

As of the census ² of 2000, there are 969,749 people, 350,714 households, and 250,409 families residing in the county. The population density is 948/km² (2,455/mi²). There are 359,411 housing units at an average density of 351/km² (910/mi²). The racial makeup of the county is 69.91% White, 8.57% 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 are Hispanic or Latino of any race. Fairfax County is home to more than 60,000 Koreans, particularly in the Annandale area, along with substantial groups of immigrants from other, primarily Asian, countries.

There are 350,714 households, of which 36.30% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.40% are married couples living together, 8.60% have a female householder with no husband present, and 28.60% are non-families. 21.40% of all households are made up of individuals and 4.80% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.74 and the average family size is 3.20.

In the county, the population is 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 are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 36 years. For every 100 females there are 98.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 96.20 males.

The median income for a household in the county is $81,050, and the median income for a family is $92,146. Males have a median income of $60,503 versus $41,802 for females. The per capita income for the county is $36,888. 4.50% of the population and 3.00% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 5.20% of those under the age of 18 and 4.00% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

Judged by median income, Fairfax County was the richest county in the country through the late 1990's but was recently overtaken and is currently the second wealthiest county in the country--as judged by median household income.

4 Education

One of the primary attractions of Fairfax County is its public school system, perennially rated the best in the country. The school system contains several high schools with International Baccalaureate degree programs, in addition to a science and technology magnet school, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology. Thomas Jefferson is the foremost public high school in the country; it has a biotechnology lab, a modern physics lab, an automation and robotics lab; it is the only high school in the country to have a supercomputer, among other facilities. The median SAT scores of the high-school's graduating class are routinely higher than those of the freshman class at nearly every university in the country (including Yale, Harvard, Princeton, etc).

5 Towns and Other Localities

Three incorporated towns, Clifton, Herndon, and Vienna, are located within Fairfax County. Other communities within the county are unincorporated places; 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 affects Fairfax and Arlington Counties in Northern Virginia, and Henrico County adjacent to Richmond), and all cities within Virginia are independent of counties.

Identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as census-designated places, these communities include the following localities:

The independent city of Fairfax is enclosed within Fairfax County, but is politically separate from the county.

6 External link

Fairfax County Government website

Virginia counties Washington, DC suburbs Fairfax County, Virginia

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Home > Fairfax County, Virginia

1 History