Great Falls, Virginia

Not to be confused with Great Falls Crossing, Virginia.

Great Falls, Virginia
Census-designated place
Location of Great Falls in Fairfax County, Virginia
Boundaries of the Great Falls CDP as of 2003
Great Falls, Virginia Show map of Northern Virginia Great Falls, Virginia Show map of Virginia Great Falls, Virginia Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 38°59′53″N77°17′18″W / 38.99806°N 77.28833°W / 38.99806; -77.28833
Country	United States
State	Virginia
County	Fairfax
Area
• Total	25.66 sq mi (66.5 km2)
• Land	25.42 sq mi (65.8 km2)
• Water	0.24 sq mi (0.6 km2)
Elevation	344 ft (105 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	15,953
• Density	627.6/sq mi (242.4/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	22066
Area code(s)	703, 571
FIPS code	51-32496 [1]
GNIS feature ID	1467429 [2]

Great Falls is a census-designated place ^[3] in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. The population at the 2020 census was 15,953. ^[4]

History

For a chronological guide, see Timeline of Great Falls, Virginia.

Colonial farm settlements began to form in the area as early as the late 1700s. ^[5]

Early on, the village was known as Forestville (unofficially, since there was already a Forestville with a Post Office), but was renamed Great Falls in 1955. ^[6]

Geography

Great Falls is located at 38°59′53″N077°17′18″W / 38.99806°N 77.28833°W / 38.99806; -77.28833 (38.9981653, −77.2883157) at an elevation of 344 feet (105 m). ^{[2] [7]} Located on Virginia State Route 7 in Northern Virginia, Great Falls is 15 miles (24 km) west-northwest of downtown Washington, D.C., and 10.5 miles (16.9 km) north of Fairfax, the county seat. ^[8]

Great Falls lies in the Piedmont upland on the right bank of the Potomac River. ^{[9] [10]} The Potomac River forms the northern and eastern borders of the CDP, and several of its tributaries flow north and east through the CDP. From north to south, these include Nichols Run, Clarks Branch, and Difficult Run. Difficult Run (along with Leesburg Pike) forms the southern border of the CDP. Two of its tributaries, Captain Hickory Run and Piney Run, flow southeast through the southern part of the CDP. ^{[8] [10]} The Great Falls of the Potomac River, the community's namesake, are on the east side of the CDP. ^[10]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 25.66 square miles (66.5 km²) of which 25.42 square miles (65.8 km²) is land and 0.24 square miles (0.62 km²) is water. ^[11]

As a suburb of Washington, D.C., Great Falls is a part of both the Washington Metropolitan Area and the larger Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. It is bordered on all sides by other Washington suburbs, including: Darnestown and Travilah, Maryland to the north, Potomac, Maryland to the east, McLean to the southeast, Wolf Trap to the south, Reston and Dranesville to the southwest, Sterling to the west, and Lowes Island to the northwest. ^[11]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1990	6,945		—
2000	8,549		23.1%
2010	15,427		80.5%
2020	15,953		3.4%
* U.S. Decennial Census

In February 2022, Great Falls was included in Veranda magazine's list of wealthiest cities in the United States.^{[ citation needed ]}

2020 census

Great Falls, Virginia – Racial and Ethnic Composition
(NH = Non-Hispanic)
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 may be of any race.

Race / Ethnicity	Pop 1980 [12]	Pop 2000 [13]	Pop 2010 [14]	Pop 2020 [15]	% 1980	% 2000	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	2,317	7,423	11,939	10,659	95.78%	86.83%	77.39%	66.82%
Black or African American alone (NH)	18	98	268	300	0.74%	1.15%	1.74%	1.88%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	3 [lower-alpha 1]	9	10	21	0.12%	0.11%	0.06%	0.13%
Asian alone (NH)	37 [lower-alpha 2]	633	2,082	3,160	1.53%	7.4%	13.5%	19.81%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	0 [lower-alpha 3]	3	3	3	0%	0.04%	0.02%	0.02%
Some Other Race alone (NH)		14	45	99		0.16%	0.29%	0.62%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH)		150	477	864		1.75%	3.09%	5.42%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	35	219	603	847	1.45%	2.56%	3.91%	5.31%
Total	2,419	8,549	15,427	15,953	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

This section includes some information from the 2022 American Community Survey

At the 2020 census there were 15,953 people, 5,273 housing units and 5,019 households residing in the CDP. The population density was 627.6 inhabitants per square mile (242.4/km²). The average housing unit density was 207.4 per square mile (80.1/km²). ^[16]

Of the households, 1.5% were non-family households, 83.6% were married couple families, 6.8% were a male family householder with no spouse, and 8.1% were a female family householder with no spouse. The average family household had 3.13 people. ^[16]

The median age was 47.9, 23.4% of people were under the age of 18, and 22.0% were 65 years of age or older. The largest ancestry is the 16.3% who had English ancestry, 29.7% spoke a language other than English at home, and 24.5% were born outside the United States, 77.7% of whom were naturalized citizens. ^[16]

The median income for a household in the CDP was over $250,000. 7.9% of the population were military veterans, and 84.5% had a batchelor's degree or higher. In the CDP 2.3% of the population was below the poverty line, including 1.5% of those under the age of 18 and 3.2% of those aged 65 or over, with 4.0% of the population without health insurance. ^[16]

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 15,427 people, 4,977 households, and 4,439 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 606.9 inhabitants per square mile (234.3/km²). There were 5,179 housing units at an average density of 203.7 per square mile (78.6/km²). The racial makeup of the community was 80.5% White, 13.5% Asian, 1.8% African American, 0.1% American Indian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 0.6% from other races, and 3.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race were 3.9% of the population. ^[1]

There were 4,977 households, of which 46.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 82.1% were married couples living together, 4.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 10.8% were non-families. Of all households, 8.5% were made up of individuals, and 3.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.10, and the average family size was 3.27. ^[1]

The age distribution of the population was 29.2% under the age of 18, 5.1% from 18 to 24, 15.9% from 25 to 44, 37.3% from 45 to 64, and 12.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44.8 years. The gender makeup of the CDP was 50.3% male and 49.7% female. ^[1]

The median income for a household in the CDP was $189,545, and the median income for a family was $201,250. Males had a median income of $149,609 versus $101,289 for females. The community's per capita income was $80,422. About 0.8% of families and 1.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 0.7% of those under age 18 and 4.7% of those age 65 or over. ^[1]

In 2010, the Census extended the CDP's western border from Springvale Road to the Fairfax-Loudoun County Line, expanding the CDP's area by approximately 40%. This extension partly explains the CDP's population increase of 80.5% since the 2000 Census.

Great Falls vote
by party in presidential elections ^[17]

Year	Democratic	Republican	Third Parties
2020	58.37%5,950	39.48% 4,024	2.15% 219
2016	51.79%4,954	41.46% 3,966	6.74% 645
2012	43.81% 3,339	55.41%4,223	0.78% 59
2008	47.62% 3,477	51.75%3,778	0.63% 46
2004	44.55% 3,378	55.03%4,173	0.42% 32
2000	38.12% 2,662	58.59%4,091	3.29% 230
1996	36.59% 2,207	58.92%3,554	4.49% 271
1992	33.73% 1,979	52.40%3,075	13.87% 814

Education

Fairfax County Public Schools operates the local public schools. Great Falls students attend Great Falls Elementary School, Forestville Elementary School or Colvin Run Elementary School. These schools feed into James Fenimore Cooper Middle School, which then feeds into Langley High School.

Siena Academy is a Catholic Montessori preschool and elementary school in Great Falls, under the authority of the Diocese of Arlington. It is the only private K-12 school in the town.

Fairfax County Public Library operates the Great Falls Library. ^[18]

Infrastructure

Transportation

The main roads serving Great Falls are Virginia State Route 7 (Leesburg Pike) and Virginia State Route 193 (Georgetown Pike).

Parks and recreation

Although Great Falls is primarily a bedroom community for Washington, D.C., one major attraction is Great Falls Park which overlooks the Great Falls of the Potomac River, for which the community and the park are named. George Washington was involved with building a canal around the falls on the southwest, or Virginia, side, called the Patowmack Canal, which did not become commercially viable. Remnants of the canal and of a village around the canal named Matildaville are still visible in the park. The Great Falls and Old Dominion Railroad extended along Old Dominion Drive to Great Falls Park in 1906.

River Bend County Park ^[19] is another gathering area in Great Falls, as is the Village Green, which hosts community celebrations around Easter (Spring Festival, including an Egg Hunt), Fourth of July, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas (Tree Lighting), as well as concerts in the summer.

Great Falls on February 21, 2007

In popular culture

The MTV television series Finding Carter is partially set in Great Falls.

Notable people

Main article: List of people from Great Falls, Virginia

Due to its proximity to Washington, D.C., several figures from American politics and government live or have lived in Great Falls, including Senator Rick Santorum, former United States Surgeon General Kenneth Moritsugu, Federal Bureau of Investigation director Louis Freeh and former Central Intelligence Agency director Stansfield Turner. Other famous residents have included Governor Glenn Youngkin, political commentator Peggy Noonan, heiress Jacqueline Mars,Canadian Billionaire Emmanuel Akau, businessman Steve Case, and former Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder as well as astronaut Dan Tani.

Explanatory notes

1. Includes all people who gave "American Indian", "Eskimo", or "Aleut" as their race, regardless of Hispanic identity.
2. Includes all people who gave "Japanese", "Chinese", "Filipino", "Korean", "Asian Indian", or "Vietnamese" as their race, regardless of Hispanic identity.
3. Includes all people who gave "Hawaiian", "Guamanian", or "Samoan" as their race, regardless of Hispanic identity.

References

1. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
2. "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
3. "Great Falls CDP, Virginia". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved April 3, 2013.
4. "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Great Falls CDP, Virginia". www.census.gov. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
5. Carey, Mac (May 24, 2016). "An Unhidden Gem". Virginia Living . Cape Fear Publishing. Retrieved June 27, 2016.
6. Sanders, Milburn P. (August 11, 2005). "A Brief History of Great Falls". Connecting Neighbors. Archived from the original on February 10, 2012. Retrieved January 25, 2008.
7. "Great Falls". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior . Retrieved May 3, 2009.
8. "Great Falls, Virginia". Google Maps . Retrieved February 6, 2015.
9. "Piedmont province". The Geology of Virginia. The College of William & Mary Department of Geology. Archived from the original on August 7, 2011. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
10. "Fairfax County Transportation Plan" (PDF). Fairfax County Department of Transportation. October 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 14, 2010. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
11. "Virginia: 2010 – Population and Housing Unit Counts" (PDF). United States Census Bureau . Retrieved February 5, 2015.
12. "1980 census of population" (PDF). United States Census Bureau .
13. "P004HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE [73] - Great Falls CDP, Virginia". United States Census Bureau .
14. "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Great Falls CDP, Virginia". United States Census Bureau .
15. "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Great Falls CDP, Virginia". United States Census Bureau .
16. "Great Falls CDP, Virginia". data.census.gov. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
17. "Election Results | Elections".
18. "Library Branches." Fairfax County Public Library. Retrieved on October 21, 2009.
19. "Riverbend Park - Fairfax County, Virginia". www.fairfaxcounty.gov. Retrieved November 29, 2015.

External links

• Great Falls Historical Society