Population: 109,150 Municipal Fairfax: 20,697 Unincorporated Fairfax: 31,746 Chantilly: 56,707 Office Market: 10 msf First Settled: 1800 Incorporated: 1892 Became Independent City: 1961 Municipal Land Area: 6 sq miles Total Land Area: ? Distance From DC: 18.0 miles Government: Council/Manager

Founded in 1799 as county courthouse when Alexandria became part of the District of Columbia, Fairfax is one of the most historically significant small cities in America. Such figures as George Washington, George Mason, and William Fairfax frequented the area in Colonial and Revolutionary times, while the first land skirmishes of the Civil War took place there in the early 1860s. Today Fairfax remains the county seat, though through a peculiarity in Virginia law it’s no longer actually part of the county, but is rather an independent city surrounded on all sides by it.

Old Town Fairfax is notable for being the only genuinely urban place in (or surrounded by) Fairfax County. Though dense, Bailey’s Crossroads is suburban in character and Reston Town Center is, well, fake. Old Town, on the other hand, is real. It has evolved naturally over more than two centuries toward its current configuration, and figures to continue doing so in the future. Unfortunately, overly suburban development patterns in the second half of the 20th Century have led to heavy traffic, hindering pedestrian movement and encroaching on the historic character, while most of the modern buildings in the downtown transition district were built to a code requiring grass setbacks and too restrictive intensity limits. Meanwhile the Fairfax County Judicial Center, right in the middle of Old Town, is a modernist monstrosity and totally ignores the surrounding city fabric. Redevelopment efforts in Fairfax have thus far fallen victim to short-sightedness and NIMBYism. A recent proposal calling for increased retail and residential that would have done wonders for the vitality of the city was shot down because the three and four story buildings were “too intense”. Ironically since the 180 foot tall and remarkably ugly Massey Building dominates Old Town, some well designed taller buildings would probably help to protect the historic character by blocking undesirable views. The newest proposal, a drastically sized-down version with two story buildings on only three blocks, isn't nearly as attractive... although at least it's a baby step in the right direction.