Belle Haven is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

(CDP) in Fairfax County,

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

, United States. Nearby CDPs are Huntington (northwest), Groveton (southwest) and Fort Hunt (south). The population of Belle Haven was 6,851 at the 2020 census. The CDP is located just south of Old Town Alexandria and bounded on the west by Richmond Highway ( U.S. 1) and on the east by the

Potomac River The Potomac River () is in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and flows from the Potomac Highlands in West Virginia to Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography D ...

. It encompasses Belle Haven, a wealthy subdivision dating from the 1920s, and several adjoining neighborhoods. Some, particularly New Alexandria and Belle View, are among the lowest-lying residential areas of Fairfax County, and sustained extensive flood damage from storms including 2003's

Hurricane Isabel Hurricane Isabel was a Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that struck the east coast of the United States in September 2003. The ninth named storm, fifth hurricane, and second major hurricane of the season, Isabel formed in the eastern Atlantic ...

and 1972's

Hurricane Agnes Hurricane Agnes was the List of costliest Atlantic hurricanes, costliest hurricane to hit the United States at the time, causing an estimated $2.1 billion in damage. The hurricane's death toll was 128. The effects of Agnes were widespread, ...

. The Belleview branch of the Alexandria

Post Office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letter (message), letters and parcel (package), parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post o ...

is located in Belle Haven, and serves the 22307 ZIP code in which the majority of the CDP falls.

History

The name "Belle Haven" derives from when

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

pioneers settled along the Potomac River in the early 18th century. They named the settlement after their favorite countryman, the Earl of Belhaven. This early settlement thrived along the Potomac River as a port and was later renamed "Alexandria". The area later became part of the West Grove Plantation, which was built by Hugh West around 1748. It capitalized on its close and favorable position to the newly forming town of Alexandria.Belle Haven Country Club Historical files The West family was important in Virginia and Fairfax County politics in the 18th century. Hugh West himself was a burgess from Fairfax County, a

vestryman A vestryman is a member of his local church's vestry, or leading body.Anstice, Henry (1914). ''What Every Warden and Vestryman Should Know.'' Church literature press He is not a member of the clergy.Potter, Henry Codman (1890). ''The Offices of W ...

, and a trustee of the town of Alexandria. His son, John, followed in his father's footsteps with continued public work until he died in 1777.''The Alexandria Gazette''. The George Washington Ball map, and various Edith Sprouse articles on local history. The home passed from the West family in 1814 to a Col. Augustine J. Smith, who bought the plantation from the last West, James, who died in 1814. Smith is known to have enlarged the original to over . This included the draining of the swamps along the Potomac River and building a dike. This increased his land holding considerably, but the embankments were cut after his death and never repaired. He is also known for his vast building spree, where he had no less than thirteen new buildings built for the much enlarged plantation. These included larger slave quarters for the forty

slaves Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...

he owned. Smith died in 1830, and after several years the plantation was sold to Dennis Johnston. He did little enlarging to the plantation, still known as West's Grove. He was probably kept busy repairing all of Smith's additions. Johnston died several years before the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

, and his widow ran the plantation in his place. In 1862 the 39th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment (Garibaldi Guard) occupied the plantation and later burned it to the ground, retaliating against the owner's sons for serving as officers on General

Robert E. Lee Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a general officers in the Confederate States Army, Confederate general during the American Civil War, who was appointed the General in Chief of the Armies of the Confederate ...

's staff. No house occupied this land again until the first house was built in Belle Haven at 6041 Woodmont Road in 1928. The current Belle Haven residential community had its start in the 1920s when David Howell, a

civil engineer A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering – the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructure while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing i ...

from Alexandria, purchased the land from owners Mrs. Thomas Wilfred Robinson, Sr. and her brothers. Upon purchasing the land, Howell set up two corporations, one to construct a golf course and club, and the other to develop a residential subdivision. The golf course and club later became the Belle Haven Country Club, which still exists.

Geography

Belle Haven is located in eastern Fairfax County at (38.779013, −77.060721). The eastern border of the community is in the

and is the state border with

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

. The northern border follows tidal Hunting Creek and is with the city of

Alexandria Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...

. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the CDP has a total area of , of which is land and , or 30.93%, is water. Belle Haven is located 20 minutes outside of Washington, D.C.

Demographics

2020 Census

At the 2020 census (some information from the 2022 American Community Survey) there were 6,851 people, 3,263 housing units and 2,747 households residing in the CDP. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was 3,425.5 inhabitants per square mile (1,343.3/km²). The average housing unit density was 1,631.5 per square mile (639.8/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 70.97%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 6.73%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.66% Native American, 4.10% Asian, 0.04%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 7.87% from other races, and 9.63% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race was 16.38% of the population. Of the family households, 48.1% were married couples, 22.2% were a male family householder with no spouse, and 26.8% were a female family householder with no spouse. The average family household had 3.15 people. The median age was 41.5, 24.4% of people were under the age of 18, and 16.1% were 65 years of age or older. The largest ancestry is the 28.1% who had Irish ancestry, 18.0% spoke a language other than English at home, and 13.1% were born outside the United States, 45.7% of whom were naturalized citizens. The median income for a household in the CDP was $129,495, and the median income for a family was $190,469. 9.2% of the population were military veterans, and 71.2% had a batchelor's degree or higher. In the CDP 3.0% of the population was below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 3.2% of those under age 18 and 0.6% of those age 65 or over, with 2.3% of the population without

health insurance Health insurance or medical insurance (also known as medical aid in South Africa) is a type of insurance that covers the whole or a part of the risk of a person incurring medical expenses. As with other types of insurance, risk is shared among ma ...

2010 Census

The population of Belle Haven was 6,518 at the 2010 census.

2000 Census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

, there were 6,269 people, 3,116 households, and 1,570 families residing in the CDP. The population density was . There were 3,220 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 86.17%

, 6.88%

, 0.26% Native American, 2.27% Asian, 0.06%

, 1.93% from other races, and 2.44% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 5.47% of the population. There were 3,116 households, out of which 19.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.7% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 7.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 49.6% were non-families. 41.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.01, and the average family size was 2.77. In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 17.2% under the age of 18, 4.1% from 18 to 24, 35.0% from 25 to 44, 28.8% from 45 to 64, and 14.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.5 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $65,262, and the median income for a family was $92,195. Males had a median income of $55,446 versus $42,485 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the CDP was $46,483. About 3.3% of families and 5.0% of the population were below the

, including 4.7% of those under age 18 and 3.4% of those age 65 or over.

Population history of Belle Haven CDP from the U.S. Census Bureau

*1980...6,520 *1990...6,427 *2000...6,269 *2010...6,518 *2020...6,851

Gallery

Image:Belle Haven, VA - apartment block.jpg, River Towers condominium complex File:Belle Haven, VA - shopping center.jpg, Belle View Shopping Center File:Belle Haven, VA - condo association building.jpg, Belle View Condominium Association Management Office Image:Belle Haven, VA - park.jpg, Bower which forms the centerpiece of the Belle View Town Square Image:Belle Haven, VA - stream.jpg, Creek which runs through Belle View Image:GeorgeWashingtonMemorialParkwaynearBelleHaven.jpg, Along the George Washington Memorial Parkway in Belle View Image:BelleHavenPark.jpg, Belle Haven Park, along the river File:BelleHavenMarina1.jpg, Aerial view of Bell Haven Marina Image:BelleHavenMarina.jpg, The Belle Haven Marina Image:BelleHavenApartments.jpg, Belle View Condominiums

References

{{authority control Census-designated places in Virginia Census-designated places in Fairfax County, Virginia Virginia populated places on the Potomac River Washington metropolitan area 1928 establishments in Virginia