Springfield, Virginia
—  CDP  —
Central Springfield Business District
Location of Springfield in Fairfax County, Virginia
Coordinates: 38°47′19″N 77°10′46″W / 38.78861°N 77.17944°W / 38.78861; -77.17944Coordinates: 38°47′19″N 77°10′46″W / 38.78861°N 77.17944°W / 38.78861; -77.17944
Country	United States
State	Virginia
County	Fairfax
Area
• Total	7.9 sq mi (20.4 km2)
• Land	7.9 sq mi (20.3 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.1 km2)
Elevation	246 ft (75 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	30,484
• Density	3,869.5/sq mi (1,494.3/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
Area code(s)	703, 571
FIPS code	51-74592[1]
GNIS feature ID	1493642[2]

Springfield is a census-designated place in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States and a suburb of Washington, D.C. The Springfield CDP is recognized by the U.S. Census Bureau with a population of 30,484 as of the 2010 census. Homes and businesses in bordering CDPs including North Springfield, West Springfield, and Newington are usually given a "Springfield" mailing address. The population of the collective areas with Springfield addresses is estimated to exceed 100,000. The CDP is a part of Northern Virginia, the most populous area of the Washington Metropolitan Area and the most affluent region in the nation.

Geography [edit]

Springfield is located at 38°46′45″N 77°11′4″W / 38.77917°N 77.18444°W / 38.77917; -77.18444 (38.779238, -77.184636).^[3]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 7.9 square miles (20.4 km²), of which, 7.9 square miles (20.3 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (0.49%) is water.

The area is dominated by the interchange of I-95, I-395, and the Capital Beltway (I-495), known as the Springfield Interchange. The center of the town is at the intersection of Route 644 (Old Keene Mill Road / Franconia Road) and Route 617 (Backlick Road) adjacent to the interchange. A significant commercial district exists around the interchange area, but the rest of the community is primarily residential in character.

According to U.S. Postal Service, Springfield collectively has four ZIP codes:

• 22150 (often unofficially referred to as "Central Springfield", this is the zip code for the actual Springfield CDP itself.)
• 22151 ("North Springfield")
• 22152 ("West Springfield")
• 22153 ("Newington")

The following are total area, water area, and land area statistics (in square miles) for the four Springfield zip codes:^[4]

History [edit]

Springfield was founded as a station of the Orange and Alexandria Railroad in 1847. The station was named for the estate of Henry Daingerfield on whose land it had been built. Daingerfield was an Alexandria businessman and sat on the board of directors of the railroad. Springfield originally denoted an area to the north of the current center near what is now the Backlick Road Virginia Railway Express station off Route 617 (Backlick Road) where the station and later a post office was established as Springfield Depot August 28, 1866. This post office closed in 1868.

In 1877, Richard Moore petitioned for a post office, which he named Moor, located about a little over a mile south of the station near the intersection of Fairfax (now Old Keene Mill) and Backlick roads. The post office name was changed in 1881 to Garfield to honor the late President James A. Garfield, who had been assassinated that year. In 1907, the Garfield post office closed and a new postal station named Corbett (for the current landowner) opened back near the railroad station. Finally the name returned to Springfield on June 27, 1910, and has remained since that time^[5] although the name Garfield continued to appear on maps at least through the 1930s.^[6]

Springfield remained a rural crossroads until Edward Carr decided to subdivide the area for suburban development in 1946 along the recently opened Henry Shirley Highway (now I-95/I-395). Carr, a realtor, believed this to be the last easily accessible tract within 12 miles (19 km) of Washington, D.C.^[7] Ready access to Washington via the Shirley Highway spurred tremendous growth in the area in the 1950s and 1960s. In 1950, the area had an estimated population of 1,000. Growth led to the building of Robert E. Lee High School in 1957. By 1960 the population was reported as over 10,000 and grew to more than 25,000 by 1970 with the North and West Springfield neighborhoods.^[8]

The opening of the Springfield Mall in 1973–1975^[9] (the second regional shopping center in Northern Virginia after Tysons Corner), as well as the Springfield and Brookfield shopping centers, made Springfield a major retail destination. The area through the 1980s and 1990s until the Franconia-Springfield Parkway in 1996, and the Franconia-Springfield Metro and Virginia Rail Express Station in 1997, led to the expansion of retail and high-density housing in the area. Plans now are to revamp the mall from an indoor facility into a town center with a mixture of shopping, office, and residential development.

National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency building at the Fort Belvoir North Area in Springfield

The center of Springfield is at Route 644 (Old Keene Mill Road / Franconia Road) and Route 617. The old "Garfield" name still survives in the nearby Garfield Elementary School.

Demographics [edit]

As of the census^[1] of 2010, there were 30,484 people, 12,431 houses, and 7,472 families residing in the Springfield CDP. The population density was 3,869.5 people per square mile (1,494.3/km²). There were 10,630 housing units at an average density of 1,345.6/sq mi (521.1/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 48.7% White, 9.0% African American, 0.7% Native American, 24.3% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 12.5% from other races, and 4.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 25.5% of the population.

As of 2000, there were 10,495 households out of which 32.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.0% were married couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.8% were non-families. 22.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.88 and the average family size was 3.37. As of 2010, the average household size was 2.82.

In the Springfield CDP, the population was spread out with 22.5% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 34.2% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 11.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 99.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.5 males.

The median income for a household in the Springfield CDP as of 2010 is $81,037. In 2000, males had a median income of $45,679 versus $36,075 for females. The per capita income for the CDP is $36,405.

The zip code population totals for the entire Springfield community (as defined by USPS) are as follows:

• 22150: 22,208
• 22151: 16,587
• 22152: 28,236
• 22153: 33,177
• Total: 100,208

Public Safety [edit]

Located at 7011 Backlick Rd is the Greater Springfield Volunteer Fire Department. This fire station provides the fire and ems services to the residents of Springfield, VA.

Shopping [edit]

Springfield Mall was a large indoor shopping mall located at the intersections of Interstate highways I-95 and I-495 (also known as the Springfield Interchange). It contains several anchor stores (including a Macy's) and a food court. This mall's DMV office was where Hani Hanjour and Khalid al-Mihdhar, two of the hijackers in the September 11 attacks, illegally obtained state identification.^[10] The mall also experienced two gang-related stabbings in 2005^[11] and a fatal shooting in December 2007.^[12] The mall was purchased by Vornado Realty Trust in 2005, who are now executing massive renovations to revive the mall. It is expected to be renamed the "Springfield Town Center",^[13] incorporating retail, specialty restaurants, housing, and office buildings.^[14] As of March 2013^[update], all of the stores save J.C. Penney, Target and Macy's have closed or relocated while demolition and construction takes place. The mall renovation is due to be completed in 2014.

Transportation [edit]

Roads [edit]

Central Springfield is dominated by the over half-billion dollar Springfield Interchange highway project, which was completed in 2007. Due to its complexity, the interchange is popularly known as the "Mixing Bowl" or the "Melting Pot", a name taken from an earlier interchange near the Pentagon. It includes three Interstates (I-95, I-395, and I-495), with two exits less than a half mile apart, with two roads (Commerce Street and Route 644 (Old Keene Mill Road / Franconia Road) going over or under I-95 within less than a half mile, and is further complicated by the presence of a separate, reversible high-occupancy vehicle lane passing through the center of two of the Interstates. This project was dedicated on July 18, 2007 by Virginia Governor Timothy M. Kaine. The eight-year, $676 million Springfield Interchange Improvement Project was finished on time and on budget, according to the Virginia Department of Transportation.

Mass transit [edit]

Rail [edit]

Franconia-Springfield Metro Station

• Amtrak (regional service only)
• Virginia Railway Express commuter rail at the Backlick Road station
• Washington Metro's Blue Line at the Franconia-Springfield station

Bus [edit]

• Fairfax Connector bus
• Greyhound bus
• Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority bus

Airports [edit]

The closest airport to Springfield is the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, in Arlington, Virginia. Other airports include the busiest airport in the Washington Metropolitan Area, Washington Dulles International Airport, located in Chantilly and Sterling, Virginia, as well as Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport in Linthicum, Maryland.

Education [edit]

Fairfax County Public Schools operated public schools.^[15] The following are FCPS schools with addresses in Springfield. However, some Springfield residents live in zones of schools outside of Springfield, such as the Lake Braddock, South County, and Hayfield districts. Likewise, some non-Springfield residents live in districts that feed into schools in Springfield.

Elementary Schools: Cardinal Forest ES, Crestwood ES, Garfield ES, Forestdale ES, Cardinal Forrest ES, Hunt Valley ES, Keene Mill ES, Kings Glen ES, Kings Park ES, Lynbrook ES, Newington Forest ES, North Springfield ES, Orange Hunt ES, Ravensworth ES, Rolling Valley ES, Sangster ES, Springfield Estates ES, Saratoga ES, West Springfield ES

Middle Schools: Francis Scott Key Middle School, Washington Irving Middle School

High schools: Robert E. Lee High School, West Springfield High School

Home of the West Springfield Dance Team, which appeared on the television show America's Got Talent.

Northern Virginia Community College's Medical Campus is located in Springfield.

There are two private schools located in Springfield: St. Bernadette School and Springfield Academy.

Fairfax County Public Library operates the Richard Byrd Library in the CDP.^[16][17]

References [edit]

External links [edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Springfield, Virginia

• Springfield District-Fairfax County, Virginia
• Springfield Town Center
• Springfield Then and Now, Jack Lewis Hiller, Chronicle Newspapers, August 2005
• William Fairfax Will Transcript, Recorded in Fairfax County Deed Book B1 page 177, Fairfax County Circuit court

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