Fairfax

History

Both the City and County of Fairfax take their names from Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron, a Scottish nobleman and colonial landowner. In the 18th century, Lord Fairfax held the Northern Neck Proprietary, a vast land grant of more than five million acres between the Potomac and Rappahannock Rivers. The area now known as the City of Fairfax began as the Town of Providence, a rural crossroads and the administrative seat of Fairfax County in the early 19th century. The town grew around the courthouse and developed as a local center for governance and commerce. In 1874, the town changed its name to Fairfax. Once inhabited by the Manahoac and Piscataway peoples, the area that the city now encompasses was settled in the early 18th century by farmers from Virginia's Tidewater Region. The town of "Providence" was established on the site by an act of the state legislature in 1805. In 1859, Fairfax was renamed the "Town of Fairfax". In 1904, a trolley line connected Fairfax with Washington, D.C.

Geography

Fairfax is located close to the geographic center of Fairfax County, at (38.852612, −77.304377). According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which all but is land. While the city is the county seat, a small portion of the county comprising the courthouse complex, the jail, and a small area nearby is itself an exclave of the county within the city. Fairfax County's Government Center is west of Fairfax. The City is home to the start of the Accotink Creek and the source of Daniels Run, which flows into Accontink Creek. The City is in the humid subtropical climate under the Köppen climate classification characterized by long and hot summers and cool to mild winters.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  128,150
• Carolina Wren

  Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  102,374
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  92,540
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  90,135
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  86,320
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  83,450
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  82,800
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  82,167

Largest nearby schools

• FAIRFAX HIGH
  High · Fairfax · 2,371 students · 18.5:1 ratio
• JOHNSON MIDDLE
  Middle · Fairfax · 1,072 students · 14.5:1 ratio
• Providence Elementary
  Elementary · Fairfax · 869 students · 14.2:1 ratio
• Daniels Run Elementary
  Elementary · Fairfax · 802 students · 15.1:1 ratio
• FAIRFAX HIGH SCHOOL ACADEMY
  Other · Fairfax