Annandale, Virginia

When Europeans arrived in the 17th century, the area around Annandale, which would become Fairfax County, was inhabited by an Algonquian-speaking sub-group called the Taux, also known as the Doeg or Dogue.[6] In 1685, an Englishman, Col. William H. Fitzhugh, purchased over 24,000 acres (37.5 square miles) of wilderness in the area and converted it into one of the largest tobacco plantations in Northern Virginia.[7] It stretched from current day Fairfax City to Springfield and Falls Church and south to Pohick Church.[8] Fitzhugh's descendants later named it "Ravensworth." For over six generations, the Fitzhugh family farmed at Ravensworth and slowly sold off portions of the land.[7]

In 1830 the community of Annandale was named by a Scottish settler, after the town named Annan located at the mouth of the River Annan. Annandale followed nearby Dumfries to become the second place in Dumfriesshire to become the name of a settlement in Virginia.[1] In 1806, the Little River Turnpike (now Virginia State Route 236) had been completed through the community, connecting it with Alexandria and Fairfax. In 1808, the Columbia Pike (now Virginia State Route 244) was built, connecting the District of Columbia with Little River Turnpike in what is now Annandale. The first businessman to locate in Annandale was William Garges, who built a blacksmith shop and a livery stable at the intersection of Columbia Pike, Little River Turnpike and Backlick Road, which would become the center of town. Garges became the first postmaster at the Annandale Post Office, which opened in 1837. Small farms and businesses grew up around the town and its first church, the Annandale Methodist Chapel, was built in 1846.[7]

The American Civil War touched Annandale several times between 1861 and 1865. Union troops defending the vicinity of Washington, D.C., frequently took positions in and around the town. Confederate forces probing those defenses skirmished with them from time to time.[9][10][11][12] The Methodist Chapel, which had fallen into disrepair during the war, was dismantled by Union troops to obtain construction materials in 1863.[13]

After the war, farmers and businessmen returned to their pursuits and dairy farming began to grow in Fairfax County. Small communities continued to develop or grow near railroad stations and the dairy farms. Residents would build stores, churches and schools for their communities. By 1925, Fairfax County contained more dairy farms than any other county in Virginia. In the 1930s and 1940s, work in the area for the federal government grew as President Franklin D. Roosevelt implemented the New Deal and the United States entered World War II.[14]

After World War II, growth continued, with housing developments in suburbs like Annandale accompanied by businesses, schools, and roads to support the new residents. The suburbs became “bedroom communities” with many residents commuting to work in Washington or surrounding small cities. That trend has continued to today with further growth and many residents now commuting to work in Northern Virginia as well as in and around Washington.[14]

Annandale is located at 38°50′3″N 77°12′41″W (38.834134, −77.211277).[15] Annandale is mostly traversed by the Capital Beltway (Interstate 495) and Little River Turnpike (Virginia State Route 236). The center of town is considered to be where Little River Turnpike, Columbia Pike, and Backlick Road meet, around two miles (3.2 km) east of Interstate 495 on Little River Turnpike.

Annandale is bordered to the north by West Falls Church, to the east by Lake Barcroft and Lincolnia, to the south by North Springfield, and to the west by Wakefield and Woodburn. The CDP border follows Braddock Road to the south, Interstate 495 to the west, Holmes Run and Arlington Boulevard (U.S. Route 50) to the north, and Sleepy Hollow Road, Columbia Pike, and Little River Turnpike to the east.[16]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 7.86 square miles (20.4 km²), all of it land. The area is part of the coastal plain located just east of the Fall Line separating the coastal plain of Virginia from the Piedmont. It is characterized by rolling hills, stream valleys, and heavy red clay soils.

The Annandale region is bisected by Accotink Creek, which in Colonial times was a primary link for ocean-going ships that would load tobacco and other goods where Little River Turnpike - Annandale's oldest road and the first toll road in America - crosses it. With the construction of the Springfield Dam in 1918, Lake Accotink was created to serve as a water source for World War I-era Army Camp A.A. Humphreys (now named Fort Belvoir). In 1960, when the lake was no longer needed by the Army, the Fairfax County Park Authority leased the land and finally bought the site in 1965.[17] Today, Lake Accotink is a popular recreation area with walking, hiking and biking trails, fishing and boat rentals.

Also along Accotink Creek runs the Gerry Connolly Cross County Trail which provides uninterrupted hiking, biking, running and cross-country skiing for 20 miles (32 km) in Annandale. The trail meanders through parks and forests filled with deer, fox, geese and numerous species of native birds. In the spring, Accotink Creek is stocked with trout, and fishermen are often seen wading in its waters.[18]

As of the 2020 census, there were 43,363 people, 13,882 households, and 9,455 families residing in the community. The sharp decrease in population from 54,994 in 2000 was due to the splitting off of the CDP's western portion to form the Wakefield and Woodburn CDPs. The population density in 2020 was 5,516.9 people per square mile (2,130.1 people/km²). There were 14,447 housing units at an average density of 1,838.0 units per square mile (709.7 units/km²). The racial makeup of the community was 44.7% White, 21.9% Asian, 9.0% Black, 0.8% American Indian, 0.3% Pacific Islander, 18.8% from other races, and 4.5% from two or more races. Hispanics and Latinos of any race were 32.1% of the population.[2] Annandale is home to a large working-class White community, and is one of the few remaining areas in Fairfax County where the group has a notable presence.

Annandale is noted for Korean businesses

There were 13,882 households, out of which 31.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.7% were married couples living together, 13.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.9% were non-families. 22.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.09, and the average family size was 3.55.[2]

The age distribution of the community was 22.0% under the age of 18, 9.7% from 18 to 24, 30.2% from 25 to 44, 25.4% from 45 to 64, and 13.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37.3 years. The gender makeup of the community was 49.6% male and 50.4% female.[2]

The median income for a household in the community was $96,533, and the median income for a family was $108,079. Males had median earnings of $42,552 versus $30,979 for females. The community's per capita income was $40,361. About 6.9% of families and 9.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.6% of those under age 18 and 9.0% of those age 65 or over.[2]

According to the Demographic Statistical Atlas of the United States, as of 2018, the largest ancestry groups were:[19]

Mason District Government Center

Fairfax County (which includes Annandale) operates under the urban county executive form of government. The powers of government are vested in an elected Board of Supervisors consisting of nine members elected by district, plus a chairman elected at large.[29] The Annandale CDP lies almost entirely within the Mason District, with one small portion to the southwest lying within the Braddock District.[30][31]

Notable individuals who were born in and/or have lived in Annandale include actor Mark Hamill;[44] country music performer Kelly Willis; actor Dylan Walsh; Christopher McCandless, the subject of author Jon Krakauer's 1996 book, Into the Wild; and Fawn Hall, a notable figure in the Iran-Contra affair. Soccer goalkeeper Bill Hamid is from Annandale. CNN anchor Jim Acosta attended Annandale High School.[45]

In the video game Fallout 3, the city is used as a location under the name of Andale. The city is inhabited by a group of inbred cannibals who proudly go by the title of the "Friendliest Town in the USA".

In 2016, a contentious video posted onto YouTube in 2014 about Annandale, Virginia resurfaced and reached over a million views[46] after the creator, named Angelo Mike, posted it onto Reddit himself.[47] In the video, Mike claims that Annandale is a "funnel for the dregs of society"[46] and points out its flaws with "striking images of filth, ruin, and a dead rat".[48] Although his intention was to create a lighthearted video in which Annandale residents could make fun of the city with him,[47] he has received criticism for misrepresenting the Washington, D.C. suburb.[49]

• Flag of Annandale, Virginia

• Cho, David (March 13, 2005). "'Koreatown' Image Divides a Changing Annandale". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 9, 2014.
• Lartigue, Casey (June 19, 1999). "Signs of Insecurity". Cato Institute. Washington D.C. Archived from the original on May 15, 2007. Retrieved May 15, 2007.
• Tom (October 18, 2013). "Why Is It Named Annandale?". Ghosts of D.C. Ghosts of Cities, LLC. Archived from the original on October 29, 2013. Retrieved October 29, 2013.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Annandale, Virginia.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Annandale (Virginia).

• Official website
• Annandale Chamber of Commerce
• Flag of Annandale
• The Washington Post's Guide to Annandale, VA