Fairfax ( ) is an independent city in Virginia and the county seat of Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 24,146.
Fairfax is part of both the Washington metropolitan area and Northern Virginia regions. It is located west of Washington, D.C. Fairfax is served by Washington Metro's Orange Line.
George Mason University, located in unincorporated Fairfax County along Fairfax's southern border, is the largest public university in Virginia with 40,185 students as of 2023.
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.
On June 1, 1861, the first land battle of the Civil War, the Battle of Fairfax Court House, was fought in Fairfax after a Union army scouting party clashed with the local militia; the outcome was indecisive with neither side gaining advantage. A second battle took place in Fairfax two years later, on June 27, 1863, in which Union troops were defeated, which delayed the movements of Confederate cavalry chief Jeb Stuart with disastrous consequences for Robert E. Lee at the subsequent Battle of Gettysburg, the Civil War's bloodiest battle, which began several days later.
In 1859, Fairfax was renamed the "Town of Fairfax". It was incorporated as a town in 1874. It was incorporated as a city in 1961 by court order. Under Virginia law the city was separated from Fairfax County yet remains the county seat.
In 1904, a trolley line connected Fairfax with Washington, D.C.
The former Fairfax County Courthouse is the oldest historic building in Fairfax. The first Fairfax courthouse was established in 1742 near present-day Tysons, and is the namesake for Old Courthouse Road. It intersects with Gallows Road, which today is a major commuter route, but at the time was the road where condemned prisoners were led to the gallows at the old courthouse.
In 1752, the courthouse was moved to Alexandria, which offered to build the new courthouse at their own expense. The reason the courthouse was moved from the Tysons Corner location was because of "Indian hostilities", which is noted on the stone marker at the northwest corner of Gallows Road and Route 123. The courthouse operated there until 1790, when Virginia ceded the land where the courthouse was located in preparation for the relocation of the national capital from Philadelphia to Washington, D.C. in 1800.
The General Assembly specified that the new courthouse should be located in the center of the county, and it was established at the corner of what was Old Little River Turnpike at present-day Main Street and Ox Road on Chain Bridge Road on land donated by town founder Richard Ratcliffe.
The courthouse changed hands repeatedly during the American Civil War. The first Confederate officer battle casualty, John Quincy Marr, occurred on the grounds of the courthouse. The first meeting of the Fairfax Court was held April 21, 1800. The oldest two-story building in Fairfax, the Fairfax Public School was built in 1873 for $2,750. In addition to elementary school use, the building has also housed special education, adult education, and police academy training.
On July 4, 1992, the building became the Fairfax Museum and Visitor Center. Joseph Edward Willard built the town hall building in 1900, and then gifted it to the town in 1902.
The Old Town Hall now houses the Huddleston Library and the Fairfax Art League.
Fairfax is located close to the geographic center of Fairfax County, at (38.852612, âÂÂ77.304377). 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.
As of the 2020 census, Fairfax had a population of 24,146. The median age was 39.0 years. 19.5% of residents were under the age of 18 and 16.0% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 98.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 96.4 males age 18 and over.
100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 8,800 households in Fairfax, of which 32.4% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 53.5% were married-couple households, 17.4% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 24.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 21.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 9,330 housing units, of which 5.7% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.7% and the rental vacancy rate was 5.2%.
Old Town Fairfax has undergone an extensive redevelopment, which began in 2005. The redevelopment added a new Fairfax Regional Library, more than of retail and restaurant space, more than of office condominiums, and 85 upscale residential condominium units.
In May 2009, Fairfax was rated as No. 3 in the "Top 25 Places to Live Well" by Forbes Magazine. Forbes commended Fairfax for its strong public school system, high median salary, and a rate of sole proprietors per capita that ranks it in the top 1 percent nationwide. According to the magazine, "These factors are increasingly important in a recession. When businesses and jobs retract, as they have nationwide, municipalities with strong environments for start-ups, and those that offer attractive amenities, are better suited to recover from economic downtimes, as there are more business activity filling the void."
According to the city's 2025 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:
As an independent city of Virginia, rather than an incorporated town within a county, Fairfax derives its governing authority from the Virginia General Assembly. In order to revise the power and structure of the city government, the city must request the General Assembly to amend the charter. The present charter was granted in 1966. An exclave of Fairfax County is located within Fairfax.
In November on even-numbered years, city voters elect a Mayor, six at-large Councilmembers, and five at-large School Board members to serve two-year terms. These offices are non-partisan and at-large, and there are no term limits. City voters also elect the two city constitutional officers: Treasurer and Commissioner of the Revenue for four-year terms. Other elected officials who serve the city elected by city and Fairfax County voters include the Sheriff (four-year term), Commonwealth's Attorney (four-year term), and Clerk of the Court (eight-year term). State elected officials who represent Fairfax include the Virginia Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Virginia Senator (34th District), and Virginia Delegate (37th District). Starting with the 2023 election, the city will lie within the 37th Virginia Senate district and the 11th House of Delegates district. Federal elected officials who represent the Fairfax include the U.S. President, U.S. Vice President, two U.S. Senators (six-year terms), and one U.S. Representative, 11th District (two-year term).
On August 4, 2016, then-Mayor Scott Silverthorne was arrested in a sting operation conducted by the Fairfax County Police Department. After receiving a tip that he was involved in drugs-related activities online, a police detective engaged Silverthorne on an online website "...used to arrange for casual sexual encounters between men." The detective then arranged a meeting with Silverthorne and two other men, in which they agreed to exchange methamphetamine. At the meeting in Tysons, detectives performed the exchange and then arrested Silverthorne along with the two other men. He was charged with felony distribution of methamphetamine and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia. He announced his resignation on Monday, August 8, 2016, in a letter to the City Council.
Silverthorne maintains that he was not distributing methamphetamine for sex, and he was not tried for any sexual crimes.
In December 2024 the recipients of the City's new Nonprofit Grants Program were named. Announced in 2024 the City funded the grant program $300,000. Ongoing funding for the nonprofit grant program will be approved as part of the city's annual budget process. The City offers two grant options for human services nonprofits:
The school division for the city is Fairfax City Public Schools. The public schools in the City of Fairfax are owned by the city but administered by the Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) system under contractual agreement with Fairfax County. This arrangement began to be in place in 1961. Fairfax schools include Fairfax High School, Katherine Johnson Middle School, formerly Lanier Middle School, Daniels Run Elementary School, Providence Elementary School, and Fairfax Academy.
Schools within the city that are not owned by the city government include the Boyd School, Gesher Jewish Day School, Kellar School of Inova Kellar Center, Lee Highway KinderCare, Little Flock Christian School, Northern Virginia Christian Academy, Oak Valley Center, Paul VI Catholic High School (moved in 2020-2021), The Salvation Army's University View Child Care Center, Saint Leo The Great School, Trinity Christian School, and Truro Preschool and Kindergarten.
George Mason University, the largest university in Virginia, is located just south of Fairfax's city limits, with a small portion of the university grounds in the Fairfax city limits. The university enrolls 33,917 students, making it the largest university by head count in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The university was founded in 1949, and was initially an extension of the University of Virginia named the Northern Virginia University Center of the University of Virginia. Nine years after its founding, in 1958, the Town of Fairfax purchased for the university, though the property remained within the county when the town became a city. In 1972, following several name changes, the institution became George Mason University. The university is most known for its programs in economics, law, creative writing, computer science, and business. George Mason University faculty have twice won the Nobel Prize in Economics. George Mason University economics professors James M. Buchanan and Vernon L. Smith won it in 1986 and 2002, respectively.
Fairfax County Public Library operates the Fairfax Regional Library in Fairfax. The library includes the Virginia Room, a collection of books, photographs, and manuscripts related to Fairfax County history, government, and genealogy.
The intersection of U.S. Route 50 and U.S. Route 29 is located in the northeast corner of the city. The two major highways join to form Fairfax Boulevard for approximately through the city before separating. State Route 123, State Route 236 and State Route 237 pass through the city. SR 236 is named Main Street in the city and then becomes Little River Turnpike once the city line is crossed. Interstate 66 passes just outside the city limits and is the major highway serving the Fairfax region. Connections to I-66 from the city can be made via U.S. Route 50 and State Route 123.
Although these stations are located outside city limits, trips to and from Fairfax are served by: