Falls Church is an independent city in Virginia, United States. The population was 10,377 at the 2000 census. This city is a part of the Washington Metropolitan Area. A much larger number of people reside in Greater Falls Church and use Falls Church as their mailing address. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Falls Church (along with Fairfax City) with Fairfax County for statistical purposes. Although two stations on the Washington Metro subway system have "Falls Church" in their names, neither lies within the City of Falls Church – one (East Falls Church) is in Arlington County and the other (West Falls Church) is in Fairfax County.

1 Geography
2 History
- 2.1 Sites on the National Register of Historic Places
3 Demographics
4 Politics
5 Notable residents
6 Education
7 Transportation
8 Annual Memorial Day Festival and Parade
9 References
10 External links

[edit] Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.2 square miles (5.2 km²), all of it land.

Falls Church is the smallest county-level political subdivision in the United States by area and, obviously, the smallest by size in Virginia. The smallest independent city by population in Virginia is the City of Norton.

While parts of neighboring Fairfax County share the Falls Church mailing address, the city remains an independent city. Falls Church also borders Arlington County.

[edit] History

For thousands of years, up to about 1667, Native Americans inhabited the area in and around present-day Falls Church. Today's Broad Street and Great Falls Street follow their prehistoric footpaths.

In the late 17th century, settlers from the Tidewater region of Virginia began to migrate to the area. The former "Big Chimneys" house, located on Annandale Road about a block west of Maple Ave., was built in 1699. Thus 1699 is generally accepted as the founding date of Falls Church.

The church from which the city takes its name was first built in 1734 of wood to serve Truro Parish, which had been formed two years earlier from a larger parish centered in Quantico. George Washington was one of the churchwardens. By 1757, the building was commonly known as "The Falls Church", as it was along the main north-south road to the Great Falls on the Potomac. The present-day brick church, designed by James Wren replaced the wooden one in 1769, at which point it became the seat of the newly-formed Fairfax Parish.

City vehicle during 2007 Memorial Day parade

By the start of the American Civil War, Falls Church had seen an influx of Northerners seeking land and better weather. Thus the township's vote for Virginian secession was about 75% for, 25% against. The town changed hands several times during the early years of the war. Confederate General James Longstreet was headquartered at Home Hill (now the Lawton House on Lawton Street) following the First Battle of Manassas. The world's first wartime aerial reconnaissance was carried out from Taylor's Tavern (near Seven Corners) by Thaddeus Lowe and his hot-air balloon. Falls Church later became the world's first target of an aerially-directed bombardment, courtesy of Lowe and his balloon.

Following Reconstruction, Falls Church was a sleepy rural community. It gained township status in 1875. Its first mayor after this status was Dr. John Joseph Moran, known as the attending physician when Edgar Allan Poe died.^[3] A 1915 law passed by Commonwealth allowing segregation led to the establishment of the NAACP's first rural chapter, which successfully prevented the measure from being enforced in the area. In 1948, Falls Church became an independent city in order to control its own school system.

Falls Church was the site of the first Roy Rogers fast food location; the restaurant opened in 1968. A mosque, Dar al-Hijrah, was founded in a house in Falls Church in 1983; it is now one of the largest and most influential mosques in the United States with over 3,000 worshippers attending Friday prayers (although it is now located outside of the city, in Fairfax County, with a Falls Church mailing address). Temple Rodef Shalom, the largest Reform Jewish congregation in Virginia, was founded in 1962 in the City of Falls Church but is now located in Fairfax County, also with a Falls Church mailing address.

[edit] Sites on the National Register of Historic Places

Site	Year Built	Address	Listed
Birch House (Joseph Edward Birch House)	1840	312 East Broad Street	1977
Cherry Hill (John Mills Farm)	1845	312 Park Avenue	1973
The Falls Church	1769	115 East Fairfax Street	1970
Federal District Boundary Marker, SW 9 Stone	1791		1976
Federal District Boundary Marker, West Cornerstone	1791	Meridian Street & Williamsburg Boulevard	1991
Mount Hope	1790s	203 South Oak Street	1984

[edit] Demographics

Historical populations
Census year	Population

1930	2,019
1940	2,576
1950	7,535
1960	10,192
1970	10,772
1980	9,515
1990	9,578
2000	10,377
2005	10,781

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 10,377 people, 4,471 households, and 2,620 families residing in the city. The population density was 5,225.8 people per square mile (2,013.4/km²). There were 4,725 housing units at an average density of 2,379.5/sq mi (916.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 84.97% White, 3.28% Black or African American, 0.24% Native American, 6.50% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 2.52% from other races, and 2.43% from two or more races. 8.44% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

The city has a significant population of ethnic Vietnamese. Eden Center, a large mall of Vietnamese specialty stores, is located in Falls Church,^[4] as is the Vietnamese Cultural Society of Metropolitan Washington ^[5]. The city also has a very significant population of ethnic Salvadorans ^[6].

There were 4,471 households out of which 30.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.1% were married couples living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.4% were non-families. 33.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the city the population was spread out with 23.4% under the age of 18, 5.1% from 18 to 24, 31.1% from 25 to 44, 28.1% from 45 to 64, and 12.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 94.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $74,924, and the median income for a family was $97,225. Males had a median income of $65,227 versus $46,014 for females. The per capita income for the city was $41,051. About 2.8% of families and 4.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.3% of those under age 18 and 4.1% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Politics

Falls Church is governed by a seven member city council, each elected at large for four year, staggered terms. City elections are held every two years on the second Tuesday in May of even numbered years. The Mayor is elected by vote of the members of 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.

Candidates for city elections do not run under a nationally affiliated party nomination. The dominant organizing force for city politics for many years has been the Citizens for a Better City (CBC) which endorses a slate of candidates for each election. The origin of the CBC relates, in part, to the high number of federal employees in the city falling under the Hatch Act restrictions on partisan political activity. Funding levels for city schools, tax rates, quality of city services, and land use decisions, are among the prevalent themes in city elections.

City services and functions include education, public safety and law enforcement, recreation and parks, library, land use, zoning, and building inspections, street maintenance, storm water, and water and sanitary sewer service. 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 and fire/rescue services (Arlington). In turn, the City provides water utility service to a large portion of eastern Fairfax County, including the dense commercial areas of Tysons Corner and Merrifield.

[edit] Notable residents

Map showing location of City of Falls Church relative to surrounding areas

Victor Borge, pianist and comedian lived there for a period of time.
Dr. Milton Eisenhower, brother of Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Molly Henneberg, television journalist
Reza Pahlavi, son of the Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last Shah of Iran, and the current pretender
James Thurber, who had a childhood summer home here, where he lost his left eye in an accident.
Ted White, science fiction author and editor
Nancy Kyes, actress in 1978 Halloween movie.
Eric Denton, Defender for Red Bull New York of Major League Soccer
Arthur Douglas, leader of Virginian Jousting Association VJA
Jim Fowler, zoologist and host of Wild Kingdom (Falls Church News-Press article)
Mike Hercus, player for the United States national rugby union team
Peter Overby, National Public Radio correspondent.
Joe Saunders, Los Angeles Angels pitcher.
Tom Shadyac, noted director (Patch Adams, Bruce Almighty), born in 1958.
Mark Davis, radio talk show host, now in Dallas-Ft. Worth TX

[edit] Education

The city is served by Falls Church City Public Schools:

Mount Daniel Elementary School, which includes pre-school, kindergarten and first grade.
Thomas Jefferson Elementary School (TJ), which includes grades 2 - 4.
Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School (MEH), which includes grades 5 - 7.
George Mason High School (GMHS), a highly-regarded, nationally ranked high school (#1 in the DC Area by the Washington Post, #6 in the nation by Newsweek) which includes grades 8 - 12.

The city is also home to Saint James Catholic School, a Catholic parochial school serving grades K-8.

Falls Church High School is not part of the Falls Church City Public School system, but rather the Fairfax County Public School system. The school does not serve the city of Falls Church. Of the four schools that compose the Falls Church City Public Schools, only one (Thomas Jefferson Elementary School) is located within the city; the other three are located in neighboring Fairfax County.

[edit] Transportation

The Washington Metrorail system has two stations, East Falls Church and West Falls Church-VT/UVA, located just outside of the city.
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority provides bus service throughout the Washington metropolitan area, including Falls Church.
The city, through the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, provides GEORGE, a city-wide bus service which services both Falls Church Metro stations.
A small portion of the 45-mile Washington & Old Dominion Railroad Regional Park runs through the city. The trail enters the city from the west between mile markers 7 and 7.5 (near Broad Street). The trail enters the city from the east between mile markers 5.5 and 6. The Four Mile Run Trail begins in the city at Van Buren Street. The W&OD and various predecessor lines provided rail transportation from 1860 to May 31, 1951, with exception of a few years during the Civil War. Freight service was abandoned in August 1968. These trails comprise a major bicycle commuting route to Washington, D.C.

[edit] Annual Memorial Day Festival and Parade

Since 1982, Falls Church has held an annual street festival and parade on Memorial Day. The yearly event has begun each Memorial Day with a three kilometer (3K) Fun Run sponsored by a local car dealership, Don Beyer Volvo of Alexandria, Virginia. The 2007 race drew over 4,000 runners of all ages from the local communities.^[7] Food and craft vendors, along with non-profit organizations, set up tents and booths on the grounds of City Hall and the surrounding streets.^[8] The festival culminates with a parade down Park Avenue, featuring local police and fire departments, marching bands, and cultural and civic associations.^[9]