Fairfax Station

History

Established in 1851, Fairfax Station was originally a station of the Orange and Alexandria Railroad, with proximity to the county seat of Fairfax; it was known as "Lee's Station" during its first year. During the Civil War in August 1862, Clara Barton tended to wounded Union and Confederate troops at the station after the Second Battle of Bull Run (Manassas), with headquarters at nearby St. Mary's Church. An employee of the U.S. Patent Office in Washington at the start of the war, Barton later founded the American Red Cross in 1881. A small skirmish, which was also the last in the county during the war, was fought at Brimstone Hill near Fairfax Station. The construction of St. Mary's began in 1858, and it was the first Catholic church in Fairfax County. Its parishioners were primarily Irish immigrants, employed by the railroad. The area was renamed Swetnam in 1897, and reverted to Fairfax Station in 1921. Ekoji Buddhist Temple is also located in Fairfax Station, built in 1998.

Geography

Fairfax Station is located in western Fairfax County, between Clifton to the west, Burke to the east, and the city of Fairfax to the north. The original community of Fairfax Station is located in the eastern part of the CDP, where State Route 123 (Ox Road) crosses the Norfolk Southern Railway line. State Route 286, the Fairfax County Parkway, curves through the center of the CDP, leading northwest to Fair Lakes and southeast to Newington. Population densities range from 200 to 500 per square mile (77 to 193 per square kilometer) in the northern, southern, and western portions of the CDP, to between 1,600 and 2,200 per square mile (584 to 849 per square kilometer) in the center and eastern portions. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the Fairfax Station CDP has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.85%, is water.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  89,727
• Carolina Wren

  Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  72,923
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  63,386
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  61,549
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  59,665
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  58,203
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  58,024
• Carolina Chickadee

  Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834) · Aves
  56,145

Largest nearby schools

• LAKE BRADDOCK SECONDARY
  High · Burke · 4,377 students · 16.8:1 ratio
• ROBINSON SECONDARY
  High · Fairfax · 3,607 students · 16.6:1 ratio
• CHANTILLY HIGH
  High · Chantilly · 2,937 students · 16.2:1 ratio
• OAKTON HIGH
  High · Vienna · 2,701 students · 17.5:1 ratio
• WESTFIELD HIGH
  High · Chantilly · 2,686 students · 16.8:1 ratio
• WEST SPRINGFIELD HIGH
  High · Springfield · 2,663 students · 17.6:1 ratio
• CENTREVILLE HIGH
  High · Clifton · 2,623 students · 17.6:1 ratio
• SOUTH LAKES HIGH
  High · Reston · 2,530 students · 15.2:1 ratio