Fairfax, Virginia
Fairfax, Virginia (/ˈfɛərfæks/ FAIR-faks), formally the City of Fairfax, and colloquially known as Fairfax City, Downtown Fairfax, Old Town Fairfax, Fairfax Courthouse, FFX, and Fairfax, is an independent city in Virginia and the county seat of Fairfax County, Virginia, in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 24,146.
Fairfax, Virginia | |
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Fairfax's Old Town section in 2007 | |
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Flag Seal Logo | |
| Nicknames: Downtown Fairfax, Fairfax City, Historic Fairfax | |
Location of Fairfax in Virginia | |
Fairfax City Fairfax City Fairfax City | |
| Coordinates: 38°51′9″N 77°18′15″W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Virginia |
| Pre-incorporation County | Fairfax County (none after incorporation – Independent city) |
| Founded | 1869 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Council–manager government |
| • Mayor | Catherine S. Read (I) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 6.27 sq mi (16.25 km2) |
| • Land | 6.24 sq mi (16.16 km2) |
| • Water | 0.03 sq mi (0.08 km2) |
| Elevation | 312 ft (95 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
| • Total | 24,146 |
| • Density | 3,900/sq mi (1,500/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| ZIP Codes | 22030–22033 |
| Area codes | 703, 571 |
| FIPS code | 51-26496 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1498476 |
| Website | www |
Fairfax is part of both the Washington metropolitan area and Northern Virginia regions, and is located 14 miles (23 km) west of Washington, D.C. The Washington Metro's Orange Line serves Fairfax through its Vienna station, which is a mile northeast of Fairfax. CUE Bus and Metrobus operate in Fairfax. Virginia Railway Express's Burke Centre station is located three miles southeast of Fairfax.
George Mason University, located in unincorporated Fairfax County along Fairfax's southern border, is the largest public university in Virginia with 39,032 students as of 2020.