Living in Fairfax County

Once a farming community neighboring the nation's capital, today Fairfax County is a major business center in the Washington, D.C. area. The county is the largest jurisdiction in the Washington area and contains some of its most desirable residential communities.

Business taxes generated by commercial development fund some of the finest public services in the country. The Fairfax County Public School System is consistently rated among the best in the nation, with many special academic programs and high test scores and graduation rates. The Fairfax County Public Library System is the largest public library system in Virginia with a total circulation topping 13 million items a year.

Fairfax County offers its residents a broad range of historical and entertainment options, including the National Air and Space Museum's Udvar-Hazy Center and George Washington's Mount Vernon Estate. Wolf Trap, the nation’s only national park for the performing arts, is in Fairfax County.

Fairfax County residents also take advantage of nearby cultural and recreational outlets. To the east there is the Chesapeake Bay, Atlantic Ocean beaches, and the monuments, museums and nightlife in Washington, D.C. To the west are the famed Blue Ridge Mountains. To the south are the Civil War battlefields surrounding Manassas, Fredericksburg and Richmond.

Fairfax County has a lot to offer—a dynamic business community, a range of housing options, an abundance of recreational opportunities and proximity to Washington, D.C., the mountains and the beaches.