Herndon is a town in

Fairfax County, Virginia Fairfax County, officially the County of Fairfax, is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia. With a population of 1,150,309 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the most p ...

, United States. Located in

Northern Virginia Northern Virginia, locally referred to as NOVA or NoVA, comprises several County (United States), counties and independent city (United States), independent cities in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. ...

, it is part of the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. In 2020, the population at the census was 24,655, which makes it the largest of three incorporated towns in the county.

History

The early settlement was named Herndon in 1858, after Commander

William Lewis Herndon William Lewis Herndon (25 October 1813 – 12 September 1857) was an American naval officer and explorer. In 1851 he led a United States expedition to the Valley of the Amazon, and prepared a report published in 1854 and distributed widely as ' ...

, an American naval explorer and author of ''

Exploration of the Valley of the Amazon ''Exploration of the Valley of the Amazon'' is a two-volume publication by William Lewis Herndon and Lardner A. Gibbon, who were lieutenants in the United States Navy. Gibbon's dates: Aug. 13, 1820 - Jan. 10, 1910. Volume 1 was written by Herndo ...

''. Commander Herndon captained the ill-fated steamer SS ''Central America'', going down with his ship while helping to save over 150 of its passengers and crew. In the 1870s, many Northern soldiers and their families came to settle in the area, taking advantage of moderate climate and low land prices. Originally part of the rural surroundings of the

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

area, the town of Herndon developed into a hub of

dairy farming Dairy farming is a class of agriculture for the long-term production of milk, which is processed (either on the farm or at a dairy plant, either of which may be called a dairy) for the eventual sale of a dairy product. Dairy farming has a h ...

and vacationing for area residents, aided by its presence along the Alexandria, Loudoun and Hampshire Railroad (later to become the Washington and Old Dominion (W&OD) Railroad). When the railroad was converted into a hike-and-bike trail, Herndon capitalized on history and small-town feel (in a major metropolitan region) by converting its train station into a museum and visitors center and by relocating a

Norfolk Southern Railway The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States. Headquartered in Atlanta, the company was formed in 1982 with the merger of the Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. The comp ...

caboose to a nearby site and repainting it in W&OD livery. The caboose was originally acquired in 1989 by Herndon Historical Society member, George Moore, to whose memory the caboose was dedicated after his death in 2003. Although the caboose itself never traveled through Herndon, it remains an iconic part of the downtown area that both locals and tourists visit daily. The caboose and station offer a glimpse of the original downtown's historic charm, which residents are passionate about preserving. On January 14, 2004, the Town of Herndon commemorated its 125th anniversary. The town of Herndon was part of a nationally reported controversy involving

illegal immigration Illegal immigration is the migration of people into a country in violation of that country's immigration laws, or the continuous residence in a country without the legal right to do so. Illegal immigration tends to be financially upward, wi ...

beginning in 2005. The controversy revolved around a

day labor Day labor (or day labour in American and British English spelling differences, Commonwealth spelling) is work done where the worker is hired and paid one day at a time, with no promise that more work will be available in the future, and outside t ...

center called the ''Herndon Official Worker Center'' (HOW Center), operated by Reston Interfaith's ''Project Hope and Harmony'' under a grant from surrounding

Fairfax County 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 ...

. The HOW Center was created on March 23, 2006, in response to daily gatherings of Hispanic workers at a local

7-Eleven 7-Eleven, Inc. is an American convenience store chain, headquartered in Irving, Texas. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Seven-Eleven Japan, which in turn is owned by the retail holdings company Seven & I Holdings. The chain was founde ...

store. The 2006 election for Mayor and Town Council revolved mainly around the issue, and resulted in unseating the pro-center Mayor and two councilmembers. The center closed after less than two years of operation, in September 2007. The Herndon Historic District is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

Geography

Herndon is located at (38.971478, −77.388675). 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 town has a total area of 4.2 square miles (10.9 km²), all of it land. Just over two acres of land in the town are technically in

Loudoun County Loudoun County () is in the northern part of the Virginia, Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. In 2020, the census returned a population of 420,959, making it Virginia's third-most populous county. The county seat is Leesburg, Virgi ...

Demographics

2020 census

''(Some information from the 2022 American Community Survey)'' Of the households, 57.7% were married couple families, 19.9% were a male family householder with no spouse, and 16.1% were a female family householder with no spouse. The average family household had 3.53 people. The median age was 35.5, 24.4% of people were under the age of 18, and 10.4% were 65 years of age or older. The largest ancestry is the 8.6% who had German ancestry, 53.7% spoke a language other than English at home, and 41.8% were born outside the United States, 44.9% of whom were naturalized citizens. The median income for a household in the town was $133,403, and the median income for a family was $155,901. 5.0% of the population were

military veterans A veteran () is a person who has significant experience (and is usually adept and esteemed) and expertise in an occupation or field. A military veteran is a person who is no longer serving in the armed forces. A topic of interest for resea ...

, and 52.5% had a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

or higher. In the town 7.1% 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 11.3% of those under the age of 18 and 9.3% of those aged 65 or over, with 16.2% 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

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 ...

of 2010, there were 23,292 people, 7,472 households, and 5,357 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 7,190 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 50.7%

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 ...

, 9.5%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

, 0.7% Native American, 17.9% Asian (8.5% Indian, 1.6% Vietnamese, 1.5% Chinese, 1.2% Filipino, 0.7% Korean, 0.1% Japanese, 4.2% Other Asian), 0.0%

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 ...

, 16.0% from other races, and 5.2% 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 were 33.6% of the population. There were 6,962 households, of which 41.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.8% 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, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.6% were non-families. 20.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 2.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.11 and the average family size was 3.54. In the town, the population was spread out, with 27.1% under the age of 18, 10.2% from 18 to 24, 38.3% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 3.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 111.4 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 111.0 males. The median income for a household in the town was $72,912, and the median income for a family was $79,140 (these figures had risen to $92,947 and $108,446 respectively as of a 2007 estimate). Males had a median income of $44,197 versus $35,548 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 town was $26,941. About 4.7% of families and 8.1% of the population were below the

, including 9.1% of those under age 18 and 5.5% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Herndon is part of the

Dulles Technology Corridor The Dulles Technology Corridor is a business cluster containing many defense and technology companies, located in Northern Virginia near Washington Dulles International Airport. The area was called "The Silicon Valley of the East" by ''Atlantic' ...

, which Fortune magazine named the "Netplex" because of the presence of the headquarters of such companies as

AOL AOL (formerly a company known as AOL Inc. and originally known as America Online) is an American web portal and online service provider based in New York City, and a brand marketed by Yahoo! Inc. The service traces its history to an online ...

XO Communications XO Communications, LLC, previously Nextlink Communications, Concentric Network Corporation and Allegiance Telecom, Inc., was an American telecommunications Telecommunication, often used in its plural form or abbreviated as telecom, is the ...

, Stride, Inc.,

Verizon Business Verizon Business (formerly known as Verizon Enterprise Solutions) is a division of Verizon Communications based in Basking Ridge, New Jersey, that provides services and products for Verizon's business and government clients. It was formed as Ve ...

(formerly MCI, formerly WorldCom, originally UUNET), and

Network Solutions Network Solutions, LLC, formerly Web.com, is an American-based technology company and a subsidiary of Web.com, the 4th-largest .com domain name registrar, with over 6.7 million registrations as of August 2018. In addition to being a domain name ...

, which began as the

InterNIC InterNIC, known as the Network Information Center (NIC) until 1993, was the organization primarily responsible for Domain Name System (DNS) domain name allocations and X.500 directory services. From its inception in 1972 until October 1, 1991 ...

– the registry where every

domain name In the Internet, a domain name is a string that identifies a realm of administrative autonomy, authority, or control. Domain names are often used to identify services provided through the Internet, such as websites, email services, and more. ...

was once administered. Some of those companies are within Herndon. Others have Herndon mailing addresses but are located in unincorporated Fairfax or Loudoun counties; for example, south of the

Dulles Toll Road State Route 267 (SR 267) is an expressway in the US state of Virginia. It consists of two end-to-end toll roads – the Dulles Toll Road and Dulles Greenway – as well as the non-tolled Dulles Access Road, which lies in the median o ...

. These include Deltek and Stride.

Top employers

According to the Town's 2022 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, the principal employers in the Town are: Prior year's CAFRS are also available.

Government

The town is organized as an incorporated town by the

Commonwealth of 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 ...

, and is governed by an elected Mayor and Town Council who serve on a part-time basis. Update on Town of Herndon, Virginia The current mayor is Keven J. LeBlanc, Jr., who was first elected to Council in 2023. The Mayor chairs the Council and heads the executive branch of the town government. The Police Department, independent of the county police department, is headed by Chief Maggie DeBoard, and consists of 56 sworn officers. The Herndon Police Department achieved national recognition on November 8, 1986, by becoming the seventh police agency in Virginia and the 42nd police agency in the United States to be accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies.

Attractions

Herndon boasts a wide variety of diversions and celebrations year-round. Among the community events are: Herndon contains the Herndon Depot Museum, the site of " Mosby's Raid on Herndon Station", which was a

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 ...

skirmish that took place on

St. Patrick's Day Saint Patrick's Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick (), is a religious and cultural holiday held on 17 March, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick (), the foremost patron saint of Ireland. Saint Patrick's Day was made an official Chri ...

, 1863. Also within the town is The Herndon Centennial Golf Course, the Herndon ArtSpace (a community art gallery), community center with basketball and racquetball courts and multiple baseball fields, and an aquatic center. Adjacent to the community center is Bready Park, with indoor tennis courts. Additionally, every residence within the town borders is within a mile or less of a public park. Herndon is home to a professional live theatre, NextStop Theatre, which produces a variety of plays, musicals, concerts, and educational theatre programming each season.

Education

Primary and secondary schools

Herndon is within the

Fairfax County Public Schools The Fairfax County Public Schools system (FCPS) is a school division in the U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. It is a branch of the Fairfax County government, which administers public schools in Fairfax County and the City of Fairfax. FCPS's h ...

district. Public schools serving students within the Herndon town limits are: * Clearview Elementary School * Dranesville Elementary School * Herndon Elementary School * Hutchison Elementary School * Herndon Middle School * Herndon High School Private school options include:

Dominion Christian School Dominion Christian School is a private, classical Christian school. It is an accredited member of the Southern Association of Independent Schools. It is also a member of the Association of Classical and Christian Schools (ACCS) and thSociety fo ...

, St Joseph's Elementary and several Montessori schools. Private schools south of Herndon, in nearby Floris: * King Abdullah Academy * Nysmith School (PK-8)

Public libraries

Fairfax County Public Library The Fairfax County Public Library (FCPL) is a public library system in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. It includes eight regional libraries, 14 community libraries and the Access Services Library Branch, which removes barriers to ...

operates the Herndon Fortnightly Library in Herndon.

Transportation

The primary highway serving Herndon is

Virginia State Route 228 State Route 228 (SR 228) is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. The state highway runs from Virginia State Route 657 (Fairfax County), SR 657 at the southern town limit of Herndon, Virginia, Herndon north to Virginia State ...

and its truck route. SR 228 heads directly through the center of town via Elden Street, Monroe Street, Park Avenue and Dranesville Road. SR 228 Truck diverges from Elden Street southwest of downtown on Herndon Parkway, following that road northwestward, northward and northeastward around central Herndon, finally reaching Dranesville Road north of downtown. At the south end of town, SR 228 meets

Virginia State Route 267 State Route 267 (SR 267) is an expressway in the US state of Virginia. It consists of two end-to-end toll roads – the Dulles Toll Road and Dulles Greenway – as well as the non-tolled Dulles Access Road, which lies in the median o ...

, a high speed, high-capacity toll road which provides access to

(via

Interstate 66 Interstate 66 (I-66) is a 76.32 mile east–west Interstate Highway in the East Coast of the United States, eastern United States. The highway runs from an interchange with Interstate 81 in Virginia, I-81 near Middletown, Virginia, on its w ...

) and

Washington Dulles International Airport Washington Dulles International Airport ( ) – commonly known by its former name of Dulles International Airport, by its airport code of IAD, or simply as Dulles Airport – is an international airport in the Eastern United States, located w ...

. In 2022, the Silver Line's extension opened, providing service at Herndon station.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

system, Herndon has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Notable people

* Amaka Agugua-Hamilton, head women's basketball coach,

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson and contains his The Lawn, Academical Village, a World H ...

* Jeremy Barlow, professional soccer player * Neil Barlow, professional soccer player * Rod Beaton, sports journalist for USA Today * Jon Carman, former professional American football player * Jerome Cornfield, statistician *

Albert Scott Crossfield Albert Scott Crossfield (October 2, 1921 – April 19, 2006) was an American naval officer and test pilot. In 1953, he became the first pilot to fly at twice the speed of sound. Crossfield was the first of twelve pilots who flew the North America ...

, American naval officer and test pilot * Jay A. DeLoach, American naval officer *

Ronnie Dove Ronald Eugene Dove (born September 7, 1935) is an American pop music, pop and country music singer who had a string of hit pop records in the mid to late 1960s and several country chart records in the 1970s and 1980s. Early life Ronnie Dove, th ...

, pop and country musician * Wesley L. Fox, USMC Colonel Retired, Medal of Honor recipient, and former Deputy Commandant

Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets The Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets (VTCC) is the military component of the student body at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Cadets live together in residence halls, attend morning formation, wear a distinctive uniform, and receiv ...

* Romain Gall, professional soccer player * Angie Goff, broadcast journalist *

Brandon Guyer Brandon Eric Guyer (born January 28, 1986) is an American former professional baseball outfielder and mental strength coach for the Los Angeles Angels and the University of Virginia Cavilers Baseball team. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) ...

, professional American baseball player * Kala, TikToker and hobby tunneler * Joe Snively, professional

Washington Capitals The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The Capitals compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NH ...

ice hockey player *

Ferenc Nagy Ferenc Nagy (; 8 October 1903 – 12 June 1979) was a Hungarian politician of the Independent Smallholders, Agrarian Workers and Civic Party, Smallholders Party who served as Prime Minister of Hungary from 1946 until his forced resignation in 1 ...

, former Prime Minister of Hungary *

Štefan Osuský Štefan Osuský (31 March 1889 – 27 September 1973) was an Austria-Hungary, Austro-Hungarian born Slovaks, Slovak lawyer, diplomat, politician and university professor. Biography Osuský was born in March 1889 in the village Brezová pod Bra ...

, Slovak politician and diplomat *

Sean Parker Sean Parker (born December 3, 1979) is an American entrepreneur and philanthropist, most notable for co-founding the file-sharing computer service Napster, and was the first president of the social networking website Facebook. He also co-foun ...

, founder of

Napster Napster was an American proprietary peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing application primarily associated with digital audio file distribution. Founded by Shawn Fanning and Sean Parker, the platform originally launched on June 1, 1999. Audio shared ...

and former president of

Facebook Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...

Scottie Reynolds Scottie Reynolds (born October 10, 1987) is an American professional basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with t ...

, former Villanova Wildcats basketball player * Thomas Davis Rust, Virginia Delegate and former mayor of Herndon *

Brendan Shapiro ''Survivor'' is an American reality television show, based on the Swedish program '' Expedition Robinson''. Contestants are referred to as "castaways", and they compete against one another to become the "Sole Survivor" and win one million U.S. do ...

, gym teacher and ''Survivor'' contestant * Chris Smith, Congressman NJ District 4 * Tasos Georgiou Vatikiotis, former professional footballer

Sister cities

Its

sister city A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there are early examples of inte ...

is Runnymede, Surrey, England, United Kingdom.

Notes

References

External links

*
U.S. Census Bureau: American Fact-Finder: Herndon

ArtSpace Herndon

Herndon Council for the Arts

Elden Street Players

Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts

Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum (Smithsonian Annex)

Friends of the W&OD Trail

Herndon Historical Society

Final Voyage of the SS Central America
Klare, Normand – Historian ''The Final Voyage of the Central America''. Exhaustive research documentation of the tragedy from actual accounts by the survivors of the ''Central America''. A further indepth biography of William Lewis Herndon' s life and US naval career.
Herndon and Gibbon, Lieutenants, United States Navy
Klare, Normand – Historian ''Herndon and Gibbon''. The First North American Explorers of the Amazon Valley. Lieutenant William Lewis Herndon's and Lieutenant Lardner Gibbon's expedition to map the Amazon river from its source to the Atlantic Ocean. Stories from their actual reports to Secretary of the Navy John P. Kennedy, President Millard Fillmore and the House of Representatives of the United States. * {{authority control Towns in Virginia Towns in Fairfax County, Virginia Washington metropolitan area Populated places established in 1858 1858 establishments in Virginia