Place:Fairfax (county), Virginia, United States

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NameFairfax (county)
Alt namesFairfaxsource: USGS, GNIS Digital Gazetteer (1994) GNIS51034602
TypeCounty
Coordinates38.85°N 77.35°W
Located inVirginia, United States     (1742 - )
Contained Places
Administrative region
Fairfax Court House
Cemetery
Chestnut Grove Cemetery
Jackson Family Cemetery ( 1819 - 1893 )
Saint Johns Episcopal Church Cemetery
Census-designated place
Burke
Chantilly
Fort Belvoir
Fort Hunt
Huntington
Lincolnia
Lorton
Tysons Corner
Independent city
Fairfax (independent city) ( - 1961 )
Falls Church ( - 1948 )
Inhabited place
Annalee Heights
Annandale
Avon Forest
Bailey's Crossroads
Balls Hill
Barcroft Hill
Barcroft Woods
Barkers Crossroads
Bel Air (community) ( 1948 - )
Bel Air
Belle Haven
Belleair
Belleview
Belmont Park
Belvedere
Blevinstown
Blue Oaks
Bren Mar Park
Brilyn Park
Brook Hill
Browns Mill
Broyhill Park
Broyhill-Glen Gary Park
Bucknell Heights
Bucknell Manor
Burgundy Village
Butts Corner
Camelot
Cameron Villa Farms
Cannon
Canterbury Woods
Cedar Crest
Centreville Farms
Centreville
Chapel Acres
Chesterbrook Woods
Chesterbrook
Churchill
Clarks Crossing
Clermont Woods
Clifton
Cobbs Corner
Colchester Acres
Colchester
Comptons Corner
Country Club View
Crowells Corner
Crystal Springs
Culmore
Deanwood
Devon Park
Donovans Corner
Doveville
Dowden Terrace
Dranesville
Dunn Loring Woods
Dunn Loring
Edgelea
Edsall Park
El Nido
Elgin Corner
Fair Haven
Fair Vernon
Fairfax Acres
Fairfax Farms
Fairfax Forest
Fairfax Hills
Fairfax Park
Fairfax Station
Fairland
Fairlee
Fairview
Fairwood Acres
Falls Hill
Farrs Corner
Five Forks
Floris
Four MIle Run
Franconia
Franklin Park
Glen Forest
Glendale
Great Falls
Greenway Downs
Groveton
Gum Springs
Gunston Heights
Gunston Manor
Hattontown
Hayfield
Herndon Junction
Herndon
Hillwood
Hollin Hills
Hollindale
Holly Park
Holmes Run Acres
Holmes Run Stream Valley Park
Hunter
Hybla Valley
Idylwood
Ilda
Indian Run Park
Indian Springs
Ivakota
Jefferson Manor
Jefferson Village
Jefferson
Jermantown
Keene Mill Heights
Kenmore
Kenwood
Kiels Gardens
Kings Park
Lake Barcroft
Lakewood
Langley
Lee Boulevard Heights
Lee Forest
Lee-Hi Village
Lees Corner
Legato
Leighs
Lincolnia Heights
Lincolnia Park
Lorfax Heights
Lynbrook
Makleys Corner
Malbrook
Mantua Hills
Mantua
Maple Hills
Marlin Forest
Marlo Heights
McLean Hamlet
McLean
Merrifield
Mill Creek Park
Monticello Forest
Monticello Woods
Mosby Woods
Mount Eagle
Mount Hebron Park
Mount Pleasant
Mount Vernon Manor
Mount Vernon
Navy
New Alexandria
New Hope
Newington
Newton Woods
North Mount Vernon
North Springfield
Oak Park
Oakton
Odricks Corner
Parklawn
Peacock
Penderlan
Penderwood
Penn Daw Village
Penn Daw
Pimmit Hills
Pine Ridge
Pine Spring
Pinecrest
Pohick Hills
Poplar Heights
Random Hills
Ravensworth
Ravenwood
Red Fox Forest
Reston
Ridgeview
Riverside Gardens
Robeys Mill
Rose Hill
Rutherford
Schneider Crossroads
Seven Corners
Shady Oak
Shirley Gate Park
Shrevewood
Sideburn
Sleepy Hollow Manor
Sleepy Hollow
Spring Bank
Springfield Farms
Springfield Forest
Springfield
Springvale
St. Paul's Parish
Station Hills
Stonewall Manor
Stratford Landing
Stratford On The Potomac
Strathmeade Springs
Sully Plantation
Sunnyview
Swinks Mill
The English Hills
Tremont Gardens
Truco
Truro (parish)
Tyler Park
Tysons Green
Uniontown
Vannoy Park
Vernon Square
Vertain Park
Vienna Woods
Vienna
Villamay
Waldon Woods
Waples Mill
Waynewood
Wellington
West Springfield
Westgrove
Westlawn
Westwood Park
Weyanoke
Wiley
Willow Springs
Wilton Woods
Winslow Hills
Wolf Trap Farm for the Performing Arts
Wolf Trap
Woodland Park
Woodley North
Woodley
Woods of Ilda
Yacht Haven
Unknown
Belmont
Pohick
source: Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names
source: Family History Library Catalog


the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

Fairfax County, officially the County of Fairfax, is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Part of Northern Virginia, Fairfax County borders both the City of Alexandria and Arlington County and forms part of the suburban ring of Washington, D.C. The county is thus predominantly suburban in character, with some urban and rural pockets.

As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,150,309, making it the Commonwealth's most populous jurisdiction, with around 13% of Virginia's population. The county is also the most populous jurisdiction in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area, with around 20% of the MSA population, as well as the larger Washington-Baltimore-Arlington, DC-MD-VA-WV-PA Combined Statistical Area, with around 13% of the CSA population. The county seat is Fairfax, although because it is an independent city under Virginia law, the city of Fairfax is not part of Fairfax County.

Fairfax was the first U.S. county to reach a six-figure median household income and has the third-highest median household income of any county-level local jurisdiction in the U.S. After Silicon Valley, Fairfax County, as part of the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, is usually included atop lists of the wealthiest areas in the United States.

The county is home to the headquarters of intelligence agencies such as the Central Intelligence Agency, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, and National Reconnaissance Office, as well as the National Counterterrorism Center and Office of the Director of National Intelligence. The county is also home to seven Fortune 500 companies, including three in the Falls Church area, though not in the independent municipality of Falls Church.

Contents

History

the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

At the time of first European encounter, the inhabitants of what would become Fairfax County were an Algonquian-speaking subgroup called the Taux, also known as the Doeg or Dogue. Their villages, as recorded by Captain John Smith in 1608, included Namassingakent and Nemaroughquand on the south bank of the Potomac River in what is now Fairfax County. Virginian colonists from the Northern Neck region drove the Doeg out of this area and into Maryland by 1670.

Fairfax County was formed in 1742 from the northern part of Prince William County. It was named after Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron (1693–1781), proprietor of the Northern Neck. The Fairfax family name is derived from the Old English phrase for "blond hair", Fæger-feax.

The oldest settlements in Fairfax County were 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 nearby. Modern Fort Belvoir is partly 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 moving 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 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 is the border between Fairfax and Prince William Counties. Other areas of activity included Minor's Hill, Munson's Hill, and Upton's Hill, on the county's eastern border, overlooking Washington, D.C.

The federal government's growth during and after World War II spurred rapid growth in the county and made it increasingly suburban. Other large businesses continued to settle in Fairfax County and the opening of Tysons Corner Center spurred the rise of Tysons Corner. The technology boom and a steady government-driven economy also created rapid growth and an increasingly large and diverse population. The economy has also made Fairfax County one of the nation's wealthiest counties.

A general aviation airport along U.S. Route 50 west of Seven Corners called the Falls Church Airpark operated in the county from 1948 to 1960. The facility's 2,650-foot unpaved runway was used extensively by private pilots and civil defense officials. Residential development, multiple accidents, and the demand for retail space led to its closure in 1960.

Timeline

Date Event Source
1731 Court records recorded Source:Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources
1742 County formed Source:Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources
1742 Land records recorded Source:Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources
1742 Probate records recorded Source:Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources
1790 First census Source:Population of States and Counties of the United States: 1790-1990
1853 Birth records recorded Source:Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources
1853 Marriage records recorded Source:Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources
1990 No significant boundary changes after this year Source:Population of States and Counties of the United States: 1790-1990

Population History

source: Source:Population of States and Counties of the United States: 1790-1990
Census Year Population
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 596,901
1990 818,584

Note: 1960 corrected population 262,482 (including Falls Church city, 272,674). See also notes C1, C12, and C13.

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