Fairfax County, VA

Fairfax County, officially the County of Fairfax, is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. With a population of 1,150,309 as of the 2020 census, it is the most populous county in Virginia, the most populous jurisdiction in the Washington metropolitan area, and the most populous location in the Washington–Baltimore combined statistical area. The county seat is Fairfax; however, because it is an independent city under Virginia law, the city of Fairfax is not part of the county.

The county is part of the Northern Virginia region and forms part of the suburban ring of Washington, D.C., the nation's capital. The county is predominantly suburban with some urban and rural pockets. It borders Montgomery County, Maryland to its north, Falls Church, Alexandria, Arlington County, and Prince George's County, Maryland to its east, Charles County, Maryland to its southeast, Prince William County to its southwest, and Loudoun County to its northwest.

The county is home to the offices of the director of national intelligence in McLean and the headquarters of four U.S. intelligence agencies: the Central Intelligence Agency at the George Bush Center for Intelligence in Langley, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency in Springfield, the National Reconnaissance Office in Chantilly, and the National Counterterrorism Center in McLean.

In academia, the county is home to the flagship campus of George Mason University in Fairfax, CIA University in Chantilly, Sherman Kent School for Intelligence Analysis in Reston, and several Northern Virginia Community College campuses. In the private sector, ten of the ''Fortune'' 500 companies are headquartered in the county as of 2023.

As of 2020, Fairfax County's median household income of $127,866 is the fifth-highest in the nation.

History

Prior to European settlement, present-day Fairfax County was initially inhabited by the Algonquian-speaking Doeg tribe.

17th century

In 1608, Captain John Smith documented the Doeg tribe's villages, which included ''Namassingakent'' and ''Nemaroughquand'' on the south bank of the Potomac River in present-day Fairfax County. By 1670, Virginian colonists from the Northern Neck region drove the Doeg Tribe out of present-day Fairfax County and into Maryland.

18th century

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

The county's initial settlements were along the Potomac River. George Washington settled in Fairfax County and built his home, Mount Vernon, facing the Potomac. Gunston Hall, the home of George Mason, is nearby. Fort Belvoir is partly on the estate of Belvoir Manor, built along the Potomac by William Fairfax in 1741.

Thomas Fairfax, 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, then part of the District of Columbia.

19th century

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.

During the American Civil War the Battle of Chantilly, also known as Ox Hill, part of the Second Battle of Bull Run, was fought within Fairfax County. Other areas of Civil War conflict in the county included Minor's Hill, Munson's Hill, and Upton's Hill.

20th century

The Fairfax County town of Falls Church became an independent city in 1948. The Fairfax County town of Fairfax was named an independent city in 1961.

The federal government's growth during and after World War II spurred rapid growth in the county and transformed it from a rural to suburban region. Large businesses began settling in the county, and the opening of Tysons Corner Center spurred the rise of Tysons, Virginia. The technology boom and a steady government-driven economy 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, 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.Freeman, Paul "Falls Church Airpark, Falls Church, VA" ''Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields''. Retrieved March 19, 201

/ref>Rollo, Vera (2003) ''Virginia Airports: A Historical Survey of Airports and Aviation From the Earliest Days''. Richmond, VA: Virginia Aviation Historical Societ

Geography and climate

According to the United States Census Bureau, U.S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of , of which is land and (3.8%) is water. There are about 44,400,000 trees that create a canopy covering 55.4% of the total land area.

Fairfax County is bounded on the north and southeast by the Potomac River. Across the river to the northeast is Washington, D.C., across the river to the north is Montgomery County, Maryland, and across the river to the southeast are Prince George's County, Maryland and Charles County, Maryland. The county is partially bounded on the north and east by Arlington County and the independent cities of Alexandria and Falls Church. It is bounded on the west by Loudoun County, and on the south by Prince William County.

Most of the county lies in the Piedmont region, with rolling hills and deep stream valleys, such as Difficult Run and its tributaries. West of Route 28, the hills give way to a flat, gentle valley that stretches west to the Bull Run Mountains in Loudoun County. Elevations in the county range from near sea level along the tidal sections of the Potomac River in the southeast portion of the county to more than in the Tysons area.

In 2023, the plant hardiness zone shifted from 7a to 7b. The Fairfax County News Letter predicts that Fairfax will shift to zone 8 in the next few decades as temperatures rise.

Adjacent jurisdictions

Geology

The Piedmont hills in the central county are made up of ancient metamorphic rocks such as schist, the roots of several ancestral ranges of the Appalachian Mountains. The western valley is floored with more recent shale and sandstone. This geology is similar to adjacent bands of rocks in Maryland and further south in Virginia along the eastern front of the Appalachian.

An area of of the county is known to be underlain with natural asbestos. Much of the asbestos is known to emanate from fibrous tremolite or actinolite. The threat was discovered in 1987, prompting the county to establish laws to monitor air quality at construction sites, control soil taken from affected areas, and require freshly developed sites to lay of clean, stable material over the ground.

During the construction of Centreville High School, for instance, a large amount of asbestos-laden soil was removed and then trucked to Vienna for the construction of the I-66/Nutley Street interchange. Fill dirt then had to be trucked in to make the site level. Marine clays can be found in widespread areas of the county east of Interstate 95, mostly in the Franconia and Mount Vernon districts. These clays contribute to soil instability, leading to significant construction challenges for builders.

Government and politics

Fairfax County uses the urban county executive form of government, which county voters approved in a 1966 referendum. Under the urban county executive plan, the county is governed by a 10-member Fairfax County Board of Supervisors with the day-to-day running of the county tasked to the appointed Fairfax County executive. Nine of the board members are elected from the single-member districts of Braddock, Dranesville, Franconia, Hunter Mill, Mason, Mount Vernon, Providence, Springfield, and Sully, while the chairman is elected at-large.

In addition to the Board of Supervisors, there are three constitutional officers, the Commonwealth's Attorney, clerk of the Circuit Court, and sheriff. The Fairfax County School Board has 12 members, which are directly elected by the Fairfax County voters. Fairfax County also has a Consumer Protection Commission, which advises the Board of Supervisors and the Department of Cable and Consumer Services on consumer affairs, investigates illegal, fraudulent, deceptive, or dangerous consumer practices, and refers suspected violations of Virginia law to the Commonwealth Attorney or County Attorney for investigation.

Fairfax County Government Center is west of the City of Fairfax in an unincorporated area. Fairfax County contains an exclave unincorporated area in the City of Fairfax's central business district, where many county facilities (including the courthouses and jail) are.

Fairfax County was once considered a Republican Party (United States), Republican bastion but Democratic Party (United States), Democrats now control the Board of Supervisors, School Board (officially nonpartisan), offices of the county sheriff, and the Commonwealth's Attorney. Democrats also hold all the Fairfax seats in the Virginia House of Delegates and every seat in the Virginia State Senate, Senate.

Fairfax County encompasses parts of three congressional districts, the Virginia's 8th congressional district, 8th District, the Virginia's 10th congressional district, 10th District, and the Virginia's 11th congressional district, 11th District. Democrats represent all three districts, with Suhas Subramanyam representing the 10th, Don Beyer representing the 8th, and Gerry Connolly representing the 11th.

In the 2012 United States presidential election, 2012 presidential election, Fairfax County solidly backed Barack Obama for re-election as president, who came just short of matching his 2008 performance in the county, winning it 59.6% to Mitt Romney's 39.1%. Former Governor of Virginia, Virginia Governor Tim Kaine, running for the United States Senate, U.S. Senate in 2012, carried Fairfax County with 61% of the vote as part of his statewide victory. U.S. Representatives Connolly, Moran, and Wolf were also re-elected.

Republican governor Bob McDonnell won Fairfax County with 51% of the vote in 2009, but the Republican resurgence in Fairfax was short-lived. In the 2013 Virginia elections, 2013 election, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe won Fairfax County with 58% of the vote, defeating incumbent state attorney general and former Republican state senator from Fairfax Ken Cuccinelli. McAuliffe's running mates, Ralph Northam and Mark Herring, also carried Fairfax County in their respective bids for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia, lieutenant governor and Attorney General of Virginia, attorney general. These Democratic victories mirrored the Democratic ticket's sweep of the state's three executive offices for the first time since 1989.

In the 2016 United States presidential election, 2016 general election, Fairfax continued its trend towards Democratic candidates. Representatives Beyer and Connolly were re-elected, with Connolly running unopposed. Fairfax County supported Hillary Clinton for president with 64.4% of the vote to Donald Trump's 28.6%, exemplifying a heavy swing toward Democrats across Northern Virginia.

In the 2020 United States presidential election, 2020 general election, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden won the county with 69.89% of the vote, the largest percentage for a Democrat in the county since 1916 United States presidential election, 1916. As of 2025, Springfield supervisor Pat Herrity is the last remaining elected Republican Party (United States), Republican official in Fairfax County.

Population

2020 census

Of the households, 55.5% were married couple families, 15.9% were a male family householder with no spouse, and 23.0% were a female family householder with no spouse. The average family household had 3.25 people.

The median age was 39.4, 22.6% of people were under the age of 18, and 15.1% were 65 years of age or older. The largest ancestry is the 10.1% who had English Americans, English ancestry, 37.8% spoke a language other than English language, English at home, and 30.7% were born outside the United States, 63.4% of whom were Naturalized citizen of the United States, naturalized citizens.

The median income for a household in the county was $145,164, and the median income for a family was $174,085. 7.5% of the population were Veteran#United States, military veterans, and 65.5% had a Bachelor's degree, bachelors degree or Higher degree, higher. In the county 5.6% of the population was below the poverty line, including 5.6% of those under age 18 and 5.7% of those age 65 or over, with 7.2% of the population without Health insurance in the United States, health insurance.

Education

K-12 education

The county is served by the Fairfax County Public Schools system, to which the county government allocates 52.2% of its budget. Including state and federal government contributions, along with citizen and corporate contributions, this brings the 2023 budget for the school system to $3.5 billion. The school system has estimated that, based on the 2023 fiscal year budget, the county will be spending $18,772 on each student.

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 U.S. high schools due to the extraordinary number of National Merit semifinalists and finalists, its students' high average SAT scores, and the number of students who annually perform nationally recognized research in the sciences and engineering. A Governor's School, TJHSST draws students from five counties Fairfax County and other Northern Virginia counties, cities, and towns.

Catholic Church, Catholic elementary and middle schools in the county fall under the Roman Catholic Diocese of Arlington and include Paul VI Catholic High School, Fairfax County's diocese-run Catholic high school, and Oakcrest School (McLean, Virginia), Oakcrest School, an all-girls Catholic school in Fairfax County, which is not run by the diocese.

Colleges and universities

George Mason University is just outside the city of Fairfax, near the geographic center of Fairfax County. Northern Virginia Community College (NVCC) serves Fairfax County with campuses in Annandale, Virginia, Annandale and Springfield and a center in Reston that is a satellite branch of the Loudoun campus. The NVCC Alexandria campus borders Fairfax County. The CIA University, Central Intelligence Agency University and its Sherman Kent School for Intelligence Analysis are both located in Fairfax County, specifically in Chantilly and Reston respectively.
George Mason University faculty have twice won the Nobel Prize in Economics. George Mason University economics professors James M. Buchanan and Vernon L. Smith won it in 1986 and 2002, respectively.

The University of Fairfax, a for-profit proprietary college and alleged diploma mill was once headquartered in Vienna, Virginia. Virginia Commonwealth University's VCU School of Medicine, School of Medicine recently constructed a medical campus wing at Inova Fairfax Hospital in order to allow third- and fourth-year medical students to study at other state-of-the-art facilities in Northern Virginia.

Economy

Fairfax County's economy revolves around professional services and technology. Many residents work for the government or contractors of the federal government. The government is the largest employer, with Fort Belvoir in southern Fairfax the county's single largest source of federal employment. Fairfax County has a gross county product of approximately $95 billion.

Major employers in the county include Airbus Americas, Airbus, Volkswagen Group of America, Hilton Hotels Corporation, Hilton Worldwide, DXC Technology, Northrop Grumman, Science Applications International Corporation, Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), Leidos, Booz Allen Hamilton, Gannett, Capital One, General Dynamics, ICF International, Freddie Mac, SLM Corporation, Sallie Mae, ManTech International, Mars, Incorporated, Mars, NII Holdings, NII, and NVR (homebuilding company), NVR. The county is home to seven ''Fortune'' 500 company headquarters, 11 Hispanic 500 companies, and five companies on the Black Enterprise 500 list.

The county's economy is supported by the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority, which provides services and information to promote Fairfax County as a leading business and technology center. The FCEDA is the nation's largest non-state economic development authority. Fairfax County is also home to the Northern Virginia Technology Council, a trade association for local technology companies. Fairfax County has a higher concentration of high-tech workers than Silicon Valley.

Tysons

Tysons, located in the county, is Virginia's largest office market and the nation's largest suburban business district, with of office space. It is the country's 12th-largest business district and is expected to grow substantially in the coming decades. It contains a quarter of the county's total office space inventory, which was as of 2006, representing roughly the same size as the Lower Manhattan region of New York City. In October 2011, ''Forbes'' described the area as "the place where the Internet was invented, but today it looks increasingly like the center of the global military-industrial complex", because it is home to the nation's first Internet service provider, ISPs, many of which are now defunct, and attracts numerous defense contractors that have relocated from other states to or near Tysons Corner.

Tysons draws over 100,000 workers from around the Washington metropolitan area, and draws 55,000 shoppers daily to its two super-regional malls, Tysons Corner Center and Tysons Galleria compared to 62,500 shoppers daily in Washington, D.C..

After years of delays attributed to stalling and controversy, the $5.2 billion expansion of the Washington Metro Silver Line (Washington Metro), Silver Line in Virginia from Washington, D.C., to Washington Dulles International Airport, Dulles International Airport was funded by the Federal Transit Administration in December 2008. The Silver Line added four stations in Tysons, including Tysons station, a station between Tysons Corner Center and Tysons Galleria.

Along with the expansion of Washington Metro, Fairfax County government has a plan to "urbanize" the Tysons area. The plan calls for a private-public partnership and a grid-like street system to make Tysons a more urban environment, tripling available housing to allow more workers to live near their workplaces. The goal is to have 95% of Tysons Corner within of a metro station.

Top employers

According to the county's 2023 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the county's largest employers are:

Arts and culture

Annual festivals include the "Celebrate Fairfax!" festival held in June at the Fairfax County Government Center in Fairfax, the Tephra Fine Arts Festival held in May at Reston Town Center in Reston, and the International Children's Festival at Wolf Trap, International Children's Festival held in September at the Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts, a performing arts center in Wolf Trap, Virginia, Wolf Trap.

Fairfax County supports a summer concert series held in multiple venues throughout the county on various nights. The concert series are called Arts in the Parks, Braddock Nights, Franconia District Nights, Mt. Vernon Nights, Nottoway Nights, Spotlight by Starlight, Sounds of Summer and Starlight Cinema.

Capital One Hall, part of the Capital One Tower (Virginia), Capital One Headquarters Complex in Tysons, is a major performing arts center that opened in 2021 and seats 1,600 in its main theater.

EagleBank Arena, originally known as the Patriot Center, is located on the Fairfax campus of George Mason University just outside Fairfax, hosts concerts and shows. The nearby Center for the Arts at George Mason is a major year-round arts venue, and the Workhouse Arts Center in Lorton, Virginia includes studios for artists, event facilities for performing groups, and gallery exhibitions in addition to hosting the annual Clifton Film Celebration. Smaller local art venues include: the Alden Theater at the McLean Community Center, ArtSpace Herndon, Center Stage at the Reston Community Center, Greater Reston Arts Center, James Lee Community Center Theater, and Vienna Arts Society.

Transportation

Roads

Several major highways run through Fairfax County, including the Capital Beltway (Interstate 495), Interstate 66, Interstate 95, and Interstate 395 (Virginia–District of Columbia), Interstate 395. The American Legion Memorial Bridge (Potomac River), 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 (Northern Virginia), Braddock Road, Virginia State Route 644 (Fairfax County), Old Keene Mill Road, Little River Turnpike, State Routes State Route 7 (Virginia), 7, State Route 28 (Virginia), 28, and State Route 123 (Virginia), 123, and U.S. Routes U.S. Route 1 in Virginia, 1, U.S. Route 29 in Virginia, 29, and U.S. Route 50 in Virginia, 50.

The county is part of the Washington metropolitan area, the nation's third-most congested area as of 2008.

Northern Virginia, including Fairfax County, is the third-worst congested traffic area in the nation, in terms of percentage of congested roadways and time spent in traffic. Of the lane miles in the region, 44 percent are rated "F" or worst for congestion. Northern Virginia residents spend an average of 46 hours a year stuck in traffic.

Major highways

Air

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.

From 1945 to 1961, the eastern part of Fairfax County hosted Falls Church Airpark, an airfield primarily used for general aviation and civil defense purposes until encroaching residential development forced its closure.Bredemeler, Brandon (November 9, 1970) "At 95 Former Va. Realtor Still Donates to Build Park" ''The Washington Post'', page C1 The area the airport occupied is now mainly used as a shopping center, with the western end of the complex occupied by the Thomas Jefferson branch of the Fairfax County Public Library system. Parts of several apartment complexes are also on some of the airport's former grounds.

Public transportation

Fairfax County has multiple public transportation services, including the Washington Metro's Blue Line (Washington Metro), Blue, Orange Line (Washington Metro), Orange, Silver Line (Washington Metro), Silver and Yellow Line (Washington Metro), Yellow lines. The Silver line, which runs through the Tysons, Reston, and Herndon, Virginia, Herndon areas of the county, opened in 2014, later extended in 2022, as the first new Washington Metro line since the Green Line (Washington Metro), Green Line opened in 1991.

The Virginia Railway Express (VRE) provides commuter rail service to Union Station (Washington Metro), Union Station in Washington, D.C., with stations in Fairfax County. The VRE's Fairfax County stations are Lorton station (VRE), Lorton and Franconia-Springfield station, Franconia-Springfield on the Fredericksburg, Virginia, Fredericksburg line, and Burke Centre station, Burke Centre, Rolling Road station, Rolling Road, and Backlick Road station, Backlick Road on the Manassas, Virginia, Manassas line.

Fairfax County contracts its bus service, the Fairfax Connector, to Transdev. The county is also served by WMATA's Metrobus service.

Parks and recreation

The county has many protected areas, a total of over 390 county parks on more than . The Fairfax County Park Authority maintains parks and recreation centers through the county. There are also two national protected areas that are inside the county at least in part, including Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge, George Washington Memorial Parkway, and Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts. Mason Neck State Park is also in Lorton, Virginia, Lorton.

Fairfax County is a member of the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority.

Reston Zoo is in Reston. The National Zoological Park (United States), National Zoo is nearby in Washington, D.C.

Trails

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. In addition, of the Mount Vernon Trail runs through Fairfax County along the Potomac River.

Compared to other regions of the Washington area, Fairfax County has a dearth of designated bike lanes for cyclists wishing to commute in the region. On May 16, 2008, Bike-to-Work Day, the Fairfax County Department of Transportation released the first countywide bicycle route map.

The Gerry Connolly Cross County Trail runs from Great Falls National Park in the county's northern end to Occoquan Regional Park in the southern end. Consisting of mostly dirt paths and short asphalt sections, the trail is used mostly by recreational mountain bikers, hikers, and horse riders.

Communities

Three incorporated towns, Clifton, Virginia, Clifton, Herndon, Virginia, Herndon, and Vienna, are in Fairfax County.

The Independent city (United States)#Virginia, independent cities of Falls Church and Fairfax were formed out of areas formerly under Fairfax County's jurisdiction but are politically separate. Nevertheless, the Postal Service has long considered several portions of Fairfax County to be unincorporated Falls Church and Fairfax City. Several portions of the county also have Alexandria mailing addresses; many locals refer to these neighborhoods collectively as "South Alexandria", "Lower Alexandria", or "Alexandria, Fairfax County". "South Alexandria" communities include Hollin Hills, Franconia, Groveton, Hybla Valley, Huntington, Belle Haven, Mount Vernon, Fort Hunt, Engleside, Burgundy Village, Waynewood, Wilton Woods, Rose Hill, Virginia Hills, Hayfield, and Kingstowne.

It has been proposed to convert the entire county into a single independent city, primarily to gain more control over taxes and roads. The most recent such proposal was made on June 30, 2009.

Other communities in Fairfax County are unincorporated areas. Virginia law dictates that no unincorporated area of a county may be incorporated as a separate town or city following the adoption of the urban county executive form of government. Fairfax County adopted the urban county executive form of government in 1966.

As of the United States Census, 2000, 2000 census, Fairfax County's 13 largest communities are all unincorporated census-designated place, CDPs, the largest of which are Centreville, Virginia, Centreville, Reston, and McLean, each with a population over 45,000.

Census-designated places

The following localities in Fairfax County are identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as unincorporated area, unincorporated Census-designated places:

* Annandale, Virginia, Annandale
* Bailey's Crossroads, Virginia, Bailey's Crossroads
* Belle Haven, Fairfax County, Virginia, Belle Haven
* Braddock, Virginia, Braddock
* Bull Run, Fairfax County, Virginia, Bull Run
* Burke, Virginia, Burke
* Burke Centre, Virginia, Burke Centre
* Centreville, Virginia, Centreville
* Chantilly
* Crosspointe, Virginia, Crosspointe
* Difficult Run, Virginia, Difficult Run
* Dranesville, Virginia, Dranesville
* Dunn Loring, Virginia, Dunn Loring
* Fair Lakes, Virginia, Fair Lakes
* Fair Oaks, Fairfax County, Virginia, Fair Oaks
* Fairfax Station, Virginia, Fairfax Station
* Floris, Virginia, Floris
* Fort Belvoir
* Fort Hunt, Virginia, Fort Hunt
* Franconia, Virginia, Franconia
* Franklin Farm, Virginia, Franklin Farm
* George Mason, Virginia, George Mason
* Great Falls, Virginia, Great Falls
* Great Falls Crossing, Virginia, Great Falls Crossing
* Greenbriar, Virginia, Greenbriar
* Groveton, Virginia, Groveton
* Hayfield, Fairfax County, Virginia, Hayfield
* Huntington, Virginia, Huntington
* Hutchison, Virginia, Hutchison
* Hybla Valley, Virginia, Hybla Valley
* Idylwood, Virginia, Idylwood
* Kings Park, Virginia, Kings Park
* Kings Park West, Virginia, Kings Park West
* Kingstowne, Virginia, Kingstowne
* Lake Barcroft, Virginia, Lake Barcroft
* Laurel Hill, Virginia, Laurel Hill
* Lincolnia, Virginia, Lincolnia
* Long Branch, Fairfax County, Virginia, Long Branch
* Lorton, Virginia, Lorton
* Mantua, Virginia, Mantua
* Mason Neck, Virginia, Mason Neck
* McLean
* McNair, Virginia, McNair
* Merrifield, Virginia, Merrifield
* Mount Vernon, Virginia, Mount Vernon
* Navy, Virginia, Navy
* Newington, Virginia, Newington
* Newington Forest, Virginia, Newington Forest
* North Springfield, Virginia, North Springfield
* Oakton, Virginia, Oakton
* Pimmit Hills, Virginia, Pimmit Hills
* Ravensworth, Virginia, Ravensworth
* Reston
* Rose Hill, Fairfax County, Virginia, Rose Hill
* Seven Corners
* South Run, Virginia, South Run
* Springfield
* Sully Square, Virginia, Sully Square
* Tysons
* Union Mill, Virginia, Union Mill
* Wakefield, Fairfax County, Virginia, Wakefield
* West Falls Church, Virginia, West Falls Church
* West Springfield, Virginia, West Springfield
* Wolf Trap, Virginia, Wolf Trap
* Woodburn, Fairfax County, Virginia, Woodburn
* Woodlawn, Fairfax County, Virginia, Woodlawn

Other unincorporated communities

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census data.

† ''county seat''

Notable people

Historic figures

*John Wynn Davidson, Union (American Civil War), Union Army general who co-led the Bloody Island massacre in 1850
*Fitzhugh Lee (from Clermont (Alexandria, Virginia), Clermont), Confederate States Army, Confederate general and Governor of Virginia
*Richard Bland Lee (from Sully Historic Site, Sully Plantation), United States House of Representatives, U.S. Congressman from 1789 to 1795
*George Mason (from Gunston Hall), Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father considered the "Father of the United States Bill of Rights"
*George Washington (from Mount Vernon), Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army and first President of the United States

Films and television

*Nguyễn Cao Kỳ Duyên (presenter), Nguyễn Cao Kỳ Duyên, co-host, ''Paris By Night''
*Christina Hendricks, actress, ''Mad Men'' and ''Firefly (TV series), Firefly''
*Julianne Moore, Oscar Awards, Oscar-winning actress
*Prince Poppycock, ''America's Got Talent'' Season Five fourth place finalist
*tobyMac, Grammy Awards, Grammy-winning artist, producer, and songwriter
*Jason Sudeikis, actor and writer, ''Saturday Night Live''
*Jimmy Workman, actor, ''The Addams Family (1991 film), The Addams Family'' and ''Addams Family Values''
*Park Yoo-chun, singer, TVXQ and JYJ

Government and politics

*Sharon Bulova, former chairwoman, board of supervisors
*Barbara Comstock, former U.S. Congresswoman (VA-10) and former Virginia delegate (R-34)
*Gerry Connolly, U.S. Congressman (VA-11) and former chairman of the Fairfax County board of supervisors
*Tom Davis (Virginia politician), Tom Davis, former U.S. Congressman (VA-11)
*James Gattuso, senior research fellow, The Heritage Foundation, and former associate director to U.S. Vice President Dan Quayle
*Katherine Hanley, Virginia Secretary of the Commonwealth and former county board chair
*Nguyễn Cao Kỳ, South Vietnamese prime minister, vice president, and Air Force general
*John Warner, former U.S. senator
*Jim Webb, former U.S. senator

Media

* Jayson Blair, former ''The New York Times, New York Times'' reporter who fabricated stories
* Steve Scully, former host, political editor, and senior producer of C-SPAN's ''Washington Journal''

Musicians

*J (singer), J, K-pop R&B, and soul musician
*Lauren Graham, actress, ''Gilmore Girls''
*Dave Grohl, drummer, Nirvana (band), Nirvana, and front man for Foo Fighters
*John Jackson (blues musician), John Jackson, blues guitarist, master of Piedmont blues
*The Dismemberment Plan, band led by Travis Morrison

Sportspeople

*Bruce Arena, head coach, United States men's national soccer team
*Eric Barton, former National Football League, NFL linebacker
*Brian Carroll, Midfielder, Philadelphia Union
*Hubert Davis, former professional basketball player
*Mia Hamm, U.S. Olympic and professional soccer player
*Allen Johnson, 110m hurdles U.S. Olympic gold medalist
*Andy Heck, former NFL football player
*Grant Hill (basketball), Grant Hill, former National Basketball Association, NBA player
*Bhawoh Jue, professional football player, Green Bay Packers
*Brian Kendrick, professional wrestler
*Javier López (baseball), Javier López, former professional baseball pitcher, Arizona Diamondbacks, Boston Red Sox, Colorado Rockies, Pittsburgh Pirates, and the San Francisco Giants and four-time World Series champion
*Keith Lyle, Keith Allen Lyle, former professional football player, Los Angeles Rams, Los Angeles/St Louis Rams
*Ilia Malinin, figure skater
*Michael McCrary. former defensive end
*Ed Moses (swimmer), Ed Moses, U.S. Olympic swimmer
*Scott Norwood, former professional football kicker, Buffalo Bills
*Alex Riley (wrestler), Alex Riley, professional wrestler
*Eddie Royal, professional football wide receiver, Chicago Bears
*Evan Royster, free agent NFL running back
*Mike Glennon, professional football quarterback, Jacksonville Jaguars
*Joe Saunders, professional baseball pitcher, Seattle Mariners
*Justin Spring, U.S. Olympic gymnast
*Chris Warren (American football), Chris Warren, former NFL running back
*Alan Webb (runner), Alan Webb, U.S. Olympic track runner and American record holder in the Mile run
*Michael Weiss (figure skater), Michael Weiss, figure skater
*Kate Ziegler, U.S. Olympic swimmer

Other

*Seung-hui Cho, shooter who perpetrated the Virginia Tech shooting
*Catherine Coleman, astronaut
*Robert Hanssen, spy who sold secrets to the Soviet Union and Russia
*Kjell Lindgren, astronaut
*Christopher McCandless, wanderer who went to Alaska to try to "find himself" and died in the process, inspiring the non-fiction book ''Into the Wild (Krakauer book), Into the Wild''
*Augusto, Michaela, and Lorenzo Odone, Lorenzo Odone, Adrenoleukodystrophy, ALD patient who inspired the film, ''Lorenzo's Oil''
*Sean Parker, co-founder of Napster, Plaxo, and Causes (company), Causes

Sister cities

Fairfax County's Sister city, sister cities are:
* Songpa District, Songpa (Seoul), South Korea (2009)
* Harbin, China (2009)
* Keçiören, Keçiören (Ankara), Turkey (2012)

See also

* Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce
* Fairfax County Economic Development Authority
* Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department
* Fairfax County Police Department
* Fairfax County Sheriff's Office
* List of companies headquartered in Northern Virginia
* List of federal agencies in Northern Virginia
* National Register of Historic Places listings in Fairfax County, Virginia

Explanatory notes

Notes

External links

;Official Fairfax County sites

Fairfax County Government website

Fairfax County Public Schools

Fairfax County Public Library System

Property lookup database
from the Fairfax County Department of Tax Administration

;Other websites
*

Festival information
for Celebrate Fairfax!

Fairfax County Economic Development Authority



Tourism information
from the Fairfax County Convention and Visitors Corporation
*
*

{{Authority control

Fairfax County, Virginia,
Virginia counties
Northern Virginia counties
Virginia counties on the Potomac River
Washington metropolitan area
Populated places established in 1742
1742 establishments in the Colony of Virginia
Majority-minority counties and independent cities in Virginia