Falls Church, Virginia Explained

Falls Church, Virginia
Official Name:City of Falls Church
Settlement Type:Independent city
Pushpin Map:USA Virginia Northern#USA Virginia#USA
Pushpin Label:Falls Church
Pushpin Label Position:bottom
Mapsize:200px
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Type1:State
Government Type:Council–manager
Leader Title:Mayor
Leader Name:David Tarter
Established Title1:Settled
Established Date1:c. 1699
Established Title2:Incorporated (town)
Established Date2:1875
Established Title3:Incorporated (city)
Established Date3:1948
Unit Pref:Imperial
Area Total Sq Mi:2.05
Area Land Sq Mi:2.05
Area Water Sq Mi:0.00
Population As Of:2020
Population Total:14658
Population Density Sq Mi:auto
Timezone:EST
Utc Offset:−5
Timezone Dst:EDT
Utc Offset Dst:−4
Coordinates:38.8858°N -77.1722°W
Elevation M:99
Elevation Ft:328
Postal Code Type:ZIP Codes
Postal Code:22040, 22042, 22044, 22046
Area Code:703 and 571
Blank Name:FIPS code
Blank Info:51-27200
Blank1 Name:GNIS feature ID
Blank1 Info:1495526
Footnotes:Sister city is Kokolopori, Democratic Republic of Congo
Area Footnotes:[1]
Area Total Km2:5.30
Area Land Km2:5.30
Area Water Km2:0.00
Population Density Km2:auto
Image Map1:Falls Church-Location.svg
Map Caption1:Falls Church highlighted red in the Commonwealth of Virginia

Falls Church is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 14,658.[2] Falls Church is part of both Northern Virginia and the Washington metropolitan area. As of 2020, it has a median household income of $146,922, the second-highest household income of any county in the nation behind Loudoun County, Virginia.

Taking its name from The Falls Church, an 18th-century Church of England, later the Episcopal Church, Falls Church gained township status within Fairfax County in 1875.

In 1948, it seceded from Fairfax County and was incorporated as the City of Falls Church, an independent city with county-level governance status although it is not nominally a county.[3]

The city's corporate boundaries do not include all of the area historically known as Falls Church; these areas include portions of Seven Corners and other portions of the current Falls Church postal districts in Fairfax County and Arlington County, known as East Falls Church, which was part of the town of Falls Church from 1875 to 1936.[4] For statistical purposes, the U.S. Department of Commerce's Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the City of Falls Church with Fairfax City and Fairfax County.

At 2.11 square miles, Falls Church is the smallest incorporated municipality in the Commonwealth of Virginia and the smallest county-equivalent municipality in the United States.

Etymology

The independent city of Falls Church is named for the 1734 Church of England (later Episcopal Church) house of worship named The Falls Church founded at the intersection of important Native American trails that were later paved and named Broad Street, Lee Highway and Little Falls Street.[5]

History

See main article: History of Falls Church. The first known government in the area was the Iroquois Confederacy.[6] After exploration by Captain John Smith, England began sending colonists to what they called Virginia.[7] While no records have yet been found showing the earliest colony settlement in the area, a cottage demolished between 1908 and 1914, two blocks from the city center, bore a stone engraved with the date "1699" set into one of its two large chimneys.[8]

During the American Revolution the area is most known for The Falls Church vestrymen George Washington and George Mason.[9] A copy of the United States Declaration of Independence was read to citizens from the steps of The Falls Church during the summer of 1776.[10]

During the American Civil War Falls Church voted 44–26 in favor of secession.[11] The Confederate army occupied the then village of Falls Church as well as Munson's and Upton's hills to the East, probably due to their views of Washington.[12] On September 28, 1861, Confederate troops withdrew from Falls Church and nearby hills, retreating to the heights at Centreville. Union troops took Munson's and Upton's hills, yet the village was never entirely brought under Union rule.[13] Mosby's Raiders made several armed incursions into the heart of Falls Church to kidnap and murder suspected Northern sympathizers in 1864 and 1865.[14]

Historic sites

Cherry Hill Farmhouse and Barn, an 1845 Greek-Revival farmhouse and 1856 barn, owned and managed by the city of Falls Church, are open to the public on select Saturdays in summer.[15] Tinner Hill Arch and Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation represent a locus of early African American history in the area, including the site of the first rural chapter of the NAACP.[16]

Two of the District of Columbia's original 1791 boundary stones are located in public parks on the boundary between Falls Church and Arlington County. The west cornerstone stands in Andrew Ellicott Park at 2824 Meridian Street, Falls Church and N. Arizona Street, Arlington, just south of West Street.[17] Stone number SW9 stands in Benjamin Banneker Park on Van Buren Street, south of 18th Street, near the East Falls Church Metro station. Most of Banneker Park is in Arlington County, across Van Buren Street from Isaac Crossman Park at Four Mile Run.[18]

Sites on the National Register of Historic Places

SiteYear builtAddressListed
Birch House (Joseph Edward Birch House)1840312 East Broad Street1977
Cherry Hill (John Mills Farm)1845312 Park Avenue1973
The Falls Church1769115 East Fairfax Street1970
Federal District Boundary Marker, SW 9 Stone179118th and Van Buren Streets1976
Federal District Boundary Marker, West Cornerstone17912824 Meridian Street1991
Mount Hope1790s203 South Oak Street1984

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2sqmi, all of it land and none of it water.[19] Falls Church is the smallest independent city by area in Virginia. Since independent cities in Virginia are considered county-equivalents, it is also the smallest county-equivalent in the United States by area.

The center of the city is the crossroads of Virginia State Route 7 (Broad St./Leesburg Pike) and U.S. Route 29 (Washington St./Lee Highway).

Tripps Run, a tributary of the Cameron Run Watershed, drains two-thirds of Falls Church, while the Four Mile Run watershed drains the other third of the city. Four Mile Run flows at the base of Minor's Hill, which overlooks Falls Church on its north, and Upton's Hill, which bounds the area to its east.[20]

Demographics

2020 census

Falls Church city, Virginia – Demographic Profile
(NH = Non-Hispanic)!Race / Ethnicity!Pop 2010[21] !Pop 2020[22] !% 2010!% 2020
White alone (NH)9,0939,95573.73%67.92%
Black or African American alone (NH)5235544.24%3.78%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)23120.19%0.08%
Asian alone (NH)1,1501,4949.33%10.19%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)4100.03%0.07%
Some Other Race alone (NH)201170.16%0.80%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH)4109873.32%6.73%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)1,1091,5298.99%10.43%
Total12,33214,658100.00%100.00%
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.

Economy

See also: List of companies headquartered in Northern Virginia. In 2011, Falls Church was named the richest county (or county equivalent) in the United States, with a median annual household income of $113,313.[23] While Fortune 500 companies General Dynamics and Northrop Grumman have headquarters with mailing addresses in Falls Church, they are physically in Fairfax County.[24]

Top employers

According to the city's 2021 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report,[25] the top employers in the city are:

EmployerEmployees
Falls Church City Public Schools564
City of Falls Church295
Kaiser Permanente286
Markon Solutions242
Koons Ford180
Tax Analysts174
VL Home Health Care, Inc160
Harris Teeter150
Don Beyer Volvo113
Giant Food100
The city has broken ground on several redevelopment projects to be completed in the next few years, including the West Falls Church Economic Development Project and Founders Row along Route 7/Broad street.

Arts and culture

Annual events

The city holds an annual Memorial Day Parade with bands, military units, civic associations, and fire/rescue stations, in recent years the event has featured a street festival with food, crafts, and non-profit organization booths, and a 3K fun run (the 2009 race drew some 3,000 runners).[26] the Falls Church Farmer's Market is held Saturdays year-round, Jan 3 – April 25 (9 am – Noon), May 2 – Dec 26 (8 am – Noon), at the City Hall Parking Lot, 300 Park Ave. In addition to regional attention,[27] in 2010 the market was ranked first in the medium category of the American Farmland Trust's contest to identify America's Favorite Farmers' Markets.[28]

Cultural institutions

The Falls Church Village Preservation and Improvement Society was founded in 1885 by Arthur Douglas and re-established in 1965 to promote the history, culture, and beautification of the city. The Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation was founded in 1997 by Edwin B. Henderson II to preserve the Civil Rights and African American history and culture. Falls Church is where the first rural branch of the NAACP was established stemming from events that took place in 1915, when the town passed a segregation ordinance by creating segregated districts in the town. The ordinance was not enforced after the U. S. Supreme Court ruling in Buchanan v. Warley in 1917. The Mary Riley Styles Public Library is Falls Church's public library; established in 1899, its current building was constructed for the purpose in 1958 and expanded in 1993 and 2021.[29] In addition to its circulating collections, it houses a local history collection, including newspaper files, local government documents, and photographs. The State Theatre stages a wide variety of live performances. Built as a movie house in 1936, it was reputed to be the first air-conditioned theater on the east coast. It closed in 1983; after extensive renovations in the 1990s, including a stage, bar, and restaurant, it re-opened as a music venue.[30]

Government

Falls Church is governed by a seven-member city council, each elected at large for four-year, staggered terms. Council members are typically career professionals holding down full-time jobs. In addition to attending a minimum of 22 council meetings and 22 work sessions each year, they also attend meetings of local boards and commissions and regional organizations (several Council Members serve on committees of regional organizations as well).[31] Members also participate in the Virginia Municipal League and some serve on statewide committees. The mayor is elected by members of the council. The city operates in a typical council–manager form of municipal government, with a city manager hired by the council to serve as the city's chief administrative officer. The city's elected Sheriff is Metin "Matt" Cay.[32] Candidates for city elections typically do not run under a nationally affiliated party nomination.

City services and functions include education, parks and recreation, library, police, land use, zoning, building inspections, street maintenance, and storm water and sanitary sewer service. Often named a Tree City USA, the city has one full-time arborist. Some public services are provided by agreement with the city's county neighbors of Arlington and Fairfax, including certain health and human services (Fairfax); and court services, transport, and fire/rescue services (Arlington). The city provided water utility service to a large portion of eastern Fairfax County, including the dense commercial areas of Tysons Corner and Merrifield, until January 2014, when the water utility was sold to the Fairfax County Water Authority.[33]

Education

The city is served by Falls Church City Public Schools:

Of the four Falls Church City Public Schools, one, Mount Daniel Elementary School, is located outside city limits in neighboring Fairfax County.[34] Falls Church High School is not part of the Falls Church City Public School system, but rather the Fairfax County Public Schools; it does not serve the city of Falls Church.

Falls Church City is eligible to send up to three students per year to the Fairfax County magnet school, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology.[35]

The city is home to Saint James Catholic School, a parochial school serving grades K–8, and Grace Christian Academy,[36] a Pre-K to 8th grade Christian parochial school of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod.

Media

The Falls Church News-Press is a free weekly newspaper founded in 1991 that focuses on local news and commentary and includes nationally syndicated columns.[37] The area is also served by national and regional newspapers, including The Washington Times and The Washington Post. The city is also served by numerous citizen- and corporate-sponsored Internet blogs. WAMU Radio 88.5 produces news and opinion programs with a local focus.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Although two stations on the Washington Metro's Orange Line have "Falls Church" in their names, neither lies within the City of Falls Church: East Falls Church station is in Arlington County and West Falls Church station is in Fairfax County.

Major highways

The primary roads serving Falls Church directly are U.S. Route 29 and Virginia State Route 7. The portion of US 29 through Falls Church is also coincident with Virginia State Route 237. Most of Virginia State Route 338 is also within Falls Church. Interstate 66 passes just north of the city, while Interstate 495 passes a few miles to the west.

Notable people

In popular culture

Sister city

In 2006, Falls Church entered into a sister city relationship with Kokolopori, Democratic Republic of the Congo.[63]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files. United States Census Bureau. August 7, 2020.
  2. Web site: Falls Church city, Falls Church city, Virginia. United States Census Bureau. January 30, 2022.
  3. Web site: Municipal Code of the City of Falls Church: Incorporation and Boundaries . Library1.municode.com:80 . May 14, 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120121010054/http://library1.municode.com/default-test/template.htm?view=browse&doc_action=setdoc&doc_keytype=tocid&doc_key=6ec2ad22ea16c9281cae3c80eb841477&infobase=14329 . January 21, 2012 .
  4. Gernard and Netherton, Falls Church: A Virginia Village Revisited, p.65.
  5. Web site: About Falls Church . Fallschurchva.gov . May 14, 2012.
  6. Bradley E. Gernand and Nan Netherton, Falls Church—A Virginia Village Revisited. Virginia Beach: The Donning Company, 2000. Page 13, citing interviews with Fairfax County archaeologists Michael Johnson and Martha Williams.
  7. Gernand and Netherton, Falls Church, p. 13, citing Fairfax Harrison, The Landmarks of Old Prince William, pp. 143, 148.
  8. Gernand and Netherton, Falls Church, p. 13, citing Melvin Steadman, Falls Church By Fence and Fireside, pp. iii, x.
  9. Gernand and Netherton, Falls Church, p. 27, citing Emily Salmon and Edward Campell, Hornbook of Virginia History, pp. 27–29; Nan Netherton, Fairfax County, pp. 102–103; Tony Wrenn, Falls Church—History of a Village, p. 6.
  10. Gernand and Netherton, Falls Church, p. 28, citing Beekman, Bridges and the City of Washington, pp. v, 1, 3.
  11. Gernand, A Virginia Village Goes to War, pp. 22–29, quoting Southern Claims Commission case files and Evening Star newspaper articles.
  12. Gernand, pp. 56–62, quoting Evening Star, New York Times and Hartford Courant newspaper articles and regimental histories.
  13. Gernand, A Virginia Village Goes to War, pp. 98–100, quoting newspaper articles published in the New York Times, Evening Star, Elmira Weekly Advertiser, Buffalo Daily Courier, several regimental histories, and soldiers' letters home.
  14. Gernand, A Virginia Village Goes to War, pp. 191–195, 200–201, 203–211, quoting Southern Claims Commission case files; books regarding Mosby's Raiders; and a local history of Falls Church which cites family members’ statements.
  15. Web site: About Cherry Hill . Friends of Cherry Hill Foundation, Inc. . July 12, 2012.
  16. News: Moreno . Sylvia . FALLS CHURCH RECALLS ROLE IN NAACP HISTORY . . June 3, 1998 . December 31, 2021 .
  17. West cornerstone:
  18. Stone SW9:
  19. Web site: US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990. United States Census Bureau. April 23, 2011. February 12, 2011.
  20. Web site: The Hills and Valleys of Falls Church . Fallschurchenvironment.org . May 14, 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120226155054/http://www.fallschurchenvironment.org/hills_valleys.html . February 26, 2012 .
  21. Web site: P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Falls Church city, Virginia. United States Census Bureau.
  22. Web site: P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Falls Church city, Virginia. United States Census Bureau.
  23. Vardi, Nathan "America's Richest Counties", Forbes, April 11, 2011, accessed June 6, 2011.
  24. General Dynamics: Northrop Grumman:
  25. Web site: 2021 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, City of Falls Church . PDF . August 7, 2023.
  26. Web site: Article in Falls Church News-Press, May 2009 . Fcnp.com . May 28, 2009 . May 14, 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120223150514/http://www.fcnp.com/archives/4532-city-officials-gleeful-of-fc-memorial-day-turnout.html . February 23, 2012 .
  27. Web site: Stephanie Willis, "Falls Church Farmer's Market," D.C. Foodies, Feb. 2, 2009 . Dcfoodies.com . May 14, 2012.
  28. Web site: American Farmland Trust: Current Top 20 America's Favorite Farmers Markets . Action.farmland.org . May 14, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110904003003/http://action.farmland.org/site/PageServer?pagename=top_20_americas_favorite_farmers_markets . September 4, 2011 . dead .
  29. Web site: About Us | Mary Riley Styles Public Library .
  30. Web site: The State Theatre – History . Thestatetheatre.com . November 27, 1988 . May 14, 2012.
  31. Web site: About the City Council . Fallschurchva.gov . July 14, 2008 . May 14, 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120511093014/http://www.fallschurchva.gov/Content/Government/CityCouncil.aspx . May 11, 2012 .
  32. Web site: Sheriff | Falls Church, VA – Official Website.
  33. Web site: City Agrees to Sell Water System to Fairfax. Falls Church Times. August 23, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140826115128/http://fallschurchtimes.com/37649/city-agrees-to-sell-water-system-to-fairfax-water/. August 26, 2014. dead.
  34. Barton, Mary Ann. "It's Official: Fairfax Water Purchases Falls Church Water System for $40 Million" (Archive). Falls Church Patch. Retrieved on May 2, 2015. "This agreement also included a boundary adjustment that transferred 38.4 acres of land into the City of Falls Church. The largest parcel includes the 36 acres on which the City's George Mason High School and Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School sit."
  35. Web site: TJHSST Eligibility Requirements . Fairfax County School Board . August 3, 2024 . en.
  36. Web site: Grace Christian Academy.
  37. http://www.fhoutfront.com/2009/07/the-publisher-qa-with-falls-church-newspress-ownereditor-nicholas-f-benton.html "The Publisher: Q&A with Falls Church News-Press Owner-Editor Nicholas F. Benton," Out Front Blog, July 7, 2009
  38. Web site: Golnar Adili. Victori Contemporary. April 10, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161006040945/http://victoricontemporary.com/artists/golnar-adili/. October 6, 2016. dead.
  39. News: Amaker 2006 profile: Who is Tommy Amaker?. April 5, 2006. Ann Arbor News. Fenno, Nathan. reprinted at Web site: Amaker 2006 profile: Who is Tommy Amaker?. April 2, 2010. March 17, 2007. McVety, Dave. Mlive.com.
  40. Web site: Allan Bridge. The Apology Line. April 24, 2019. April 26, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120426001309/http://www.apologyline.com/bridge.html. dead.
  41. Web site: Different Moves. PEOPLE.com. en. April 24, 2019.
  42. Web site: Nick Madigan. February 21, 1999. Variety Magazine. The write track: Scribes honored at WGA ceremony. October 27, 2020. ...In daytime serials, “All My Children” took the prize for its writers — Agnes Nixon ... Hal Corley,.....
  43. Web site: Walter F. Rodriguez. January 4, 2013. Playwrights Theater of New Jersey. 5 Questions With Hal Corley. October 27, 2020. ... You are a five time Emmys and two WGA Awards winner.....
  44. Web site: Writers Guild. Writers Guild Awards Winners: 2005-1996. October 27, 2020. 1999 AWARDS WINNERS ...Daytime Serials ... ALL MY CHILDREN, ABC, Written by Agnes Nixon ... Hal Corley, ... 1997 AWARDS WINNERS ... ALL MY CHILDREN, ABC, Written by Agnes Nixon ... Hal Corley ... .
  45. Web site: Player Bio: Jayme Cramer. Stanford University Athletics. en. April 24, 2019.
  46. Web site: Happily-divorced relationship cartoonist tells all. Provence. Lisa. March 14, 2012. The Hook. May 16, 2016.
  47. Book: Larkin, Colin. The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. May 27, 2011. Omnibus Press. 9780857125958. en.
  48. News: More wedding bells at Fox. May 16, 2008. Washington Examiner. January 31, 2018. en.
  49. Web site: John J. Kirby, lawyer and namesake of the Nintendo character, dies at 79 credits. Polygon. October 5, 2019. October 7, 2019.
  50. Web site: Louisa Krause credits. Broadway.com. June 9, 2016.
  51. Web site: 50 famous actresses who made their way from Virginia to Hollywood . DC News Now . Nexstar Media Inc . August 3, 2024 . December 16, 2021.
  52. Encyclopedia: McHUGH, Matthew Francis, (1938 –). Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. August 29, 2017.
  53. Web site: TESTIMONY: Kyle E. McSlarrow, Deputy Secretary of Energy . Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board Public hearing . August 3, 2024 . October 21, 2003.
  54. News: Matthew . Barakat . Arab-American scholar Alixa Naff dies at 93 . . . June 5, 2013 . June 30, 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140718214528/http://seattletimes.com/html/nationworld/2021124546_apusobitarabamericanscholar.html?syndication=rss%20%20target%3D . July 18, 2014 .
  55. In Memoriam: Joseph Harvey Riley. Auk. 60. 1. 1943. 1–15. Alexander Wetmore. 10.2307/4079305. 4079305.
  56. Web site: Greg . Esposito . Google CEO gives Va. Tech $2 million . Roanoke.com . November 10, 2006 . January 13, 2013 . dead . https://archive.today/20120526041952/http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/90859 . May 26, 2012 .
  57. Web site: Forbes. THE RICHEST PEOPLE IN THE WORLD. April 29, 2021. www.forbes.com.
  58. Web site: Activist Mohamed Soltan slams Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi's regime . July 15, 2020 . dead . January 17, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190117013644/http://www.talkmedianews.com/featured/2017/04/03/activist-mohamed-soltan-slams-egyptian-president-abdel-fattah-el-sisis-regime/ .
  59. "Death Notice: FREDERICK L. TALBOT", The Washington Post, January 16, 2013
  60. Web site: Nicholas . Benton . Falls Church's Tatianna Rocks RuPaul's World . fcnp.com . March 10, 2010 . May 27, 2020 .
  61. News: Kelly. John. Perspective Why is there a street in Falls Church, Va., named after James Thurber?. en-US. The Washington Post. April 29, 2021. 0190-8286.
  62. Web site: April 20, 2017. Kelly AuCoin of "The Americans" Reflects on Local History. April 29, 2021. Falls Church News-Press Online. en-US.
  63. https://web.archive.org/web/20110716004756/http://www.fallschurchva.gov/Content/CultureRecreation/SisterCity.aspx?&cnlid=1329 "Kokolopori-Falls Church Sister City Partnership," Falls Church City official site (archived page; accessed 8 May 2012)

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