Manassas Park is an

independent city An independent city or independent town is a city or town that does not form part of another general-purpose local government entity (such as a province). Historical precursors In the Holy Roman Empire, and to a degree in its successor states ...

in the U.S. state of

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 17,219. Manassas Park is bordered by the city of Manassas and Prince William County. Manassas Park is a part of the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and t ...

, the Manassas Park area was used as a campsite by the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

during both the First and Second Battles of Bull Run. Manassas Park was created as a subdivision of Prince William County, with the first houses being constructed in 1955. In 1957, Manassas Park was incorporated as a town. Approximately 600 acres of land was annexed by the town of Manassas Park in 1974, and the town was incorporated as a city independent from the county the next year in 1975. Since then, it has been Virginia's newest city.

Geography

Manassas Park is located at (38.771944, -77.45250). It is roughly dumbbell-shaped and lies to the south of Bull Run. It is longest NW–SE along Manassas Drive, and is bisected by

Virginia State Route 28 State Route 28 (SR 28) in the U.S. state of Virginia is a primary state highway that traverses the counties of Loudoun, Fairfax, Prince William, and Fauquier in the U.S. state of Virginia. The route serves as a major artery in the Northern Virg ...

at its narrowest section. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of th ...

, the city has a total area of , all of it land.

Adjacent county / Independent city

Prince William County, Virginia Prince William County is located on the Potomac River in the U.S. state of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population sits at 482,204, making it Virginia's second-most populous county. Its county seat is the independent city of Manass ...

- north, east, south *

Manassas, Virginia Manassas (), formerly Manassas Junction, is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. The population was 42,772 at the 2020 Census. It is the county seat of Prince William County, although the two are separate jurisdi ...

- west, southwest

Demographics

2020 census

''Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.''

2000 census

At the 2000 census there were 10,290 people, 3,254 households and 2,557 families in the city. The population density was 4,129.0 people per square mile (1,595.6/km). There were 3,365 housing units at an average density of 1,350.3 per square mile (521.8/km). The

racial makeup A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...

of the city was 72.79% White, 11.17% African American, 0.44% Native American, 4.06% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 8.14% from other races, and 3.33% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 15.00%. Of the 3,254 households 45.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.9% were married couples living together, 12.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.4% were non-families. 14.4% of households were one person and 2.6% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 3.16 and the average family size was 3.47. The age distribution was 31.0% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 40.1% from 25 to 44, 15.9% from 45 to 64, and 4.3% 65 or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.0 males. The median household income was $60,794 and the median family income was $61,075. Males had a median income of $38,643 versus $30,942 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,048. About 4.7% of families and 5.2% of the population were 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 5.8% of those under age 18 and 11.2% of those age 65 or over. In June 2021, U.S. News & World Report ranked Manassas Park with the fifth best life expectancy in the United States at 92.5 years old.

Education

The city is served by Manassas Park City Schools, with a total of 4 schools: Cougar Elementary, Manassas Park Elementary, Manassas Park Middle, and Manassas Park High School. There are also Private Schools.

Transportation

is the main highway serving the city. From Manassas Park, SR 28 extends north to

Interstate 66 Interstate 66 (I-66) is an east–west Interstate Highway in the eastern United States. It runs from an interchange with I-81 near Middletown, Virginia, on its western end to an interchange with U.S. Route 29 (US 29) in Washing ...

and south to

Virginia State Route 234 Virginia State Route 234 (SR 234) is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. It runs from U.S. Route 1 near Dumfries via Independent Hill as Dumfries Road, a bypass of Manassas as Prince William Parkway, has a brief concurrency ...

, providing connections to major cities through the region. Virginia State Route 213 follows Manassas Drive, serving as a main roadway within Manassas Park. However, the route designation is unsigned. The city is home to Manassas Park station located on the

Manassas Line The Manassas Line is a Virginia Railway Express commuter line that extends from Washington, D.C. to Bristow, Virginia. The first of VRE's two lines, with service beginning on June 22, 1992, the line operates on tracks owned by CSX Transportation ...

of the

Virginia Railway Express Virginia Railway Express (VRE) is a commuter rail service that connects outlying small cities of Northern Virginia to Union Station in Washington, D.C. It operates two lines which run during weekday rush hour only: the Fredericksburg Line fro ...

Notable people

* Johnny Micheal Spann (1969–2001), was an employee of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the first American killed in combat after the

U.S. invasion of Afghanistan In late 2001, the United States and its close allies invaded Afghanistan and toppled the Taliban government. The invasion's aims were to dismantle al-Qaeda, which had executed the September 11 attacks, and to deny it a safe base of operati ...

References

External links

City of Manassas Park

Virginia Railway Express
{{authority control Cities in Virginia Majority-minority counties and independent cities in Virginia