Oh, look at this. Another place that thinks it's something special. Annandale. Virginia. A census-designated place. How utterly... predictable. It’s a suburb, of course. They always are. Dressed up in the guise of a community, but really just a collection of houses where people sleep before they go off to contribute to whatever soulless machine they serve.
The map shows it nestled within Fairfax County, Virginia. Like a small, insignificant scab on a much larger entity. Coordinates: 38°50′3″N 77°12′41″W. Precise. Cold. Just like everything else here. Settled in 1685. They like to boast about their history. As if a few centuries makes a difference in the grand scheme of things. Named after some town in the United Kingdom. A little piece of elsewhere, transplanted here. How quaint.
The area is a sprawling 7.86 square miles. All of it, apparently, land. No water to speak of. No depth. Just flat, uninspired terrain. The elevation is a meager 360 feet. Barely enough to escape the gravitational pull of mediocrity. The population, as of the 2020 United States census, was 43,363. A number. Just a number. And the density? 5,516.9 people per square mile. Packed in like sardines, all with their own little dramas, their own little disappointments. Time zone: UTC−5, UTC−4 for daylight saving. As if the passage of time even matters in a place like this. ZIP code 22003. Area codes 703, 571. Just more identifiers for the masses.
History
They arrived, these Europeans, in the 17th century. Found the land inhabited by the Taux, also known as the Doeg or Dogue. Algonquian speakers. They were here first. Of course, they were. History is always written by the conquerors, isn't it?
Then came Col. William H. Fitzhugh, in 1685. Bought over 24,000 acres. Turned it into a tobacco plantation. Because that’s what they do. They take, they exploit, they build empires on the backs of others. His descendants called it "Ravensworth." A name that sounds vaguely ominous, like a dark omen. They farmed it, sold bits off. Slowly. Like a festering wound.
In 1830, a Scottish settler, for reasons only known to him, decided to name the community "Annandale." After a town at the mouth of the River Annan. Because one Annan wasn't enough, apparently. They needed a Virginia echo of it. The Little River Turnpike, now Virginia State Route 236, sliced through the place in 1806. Connecting it to other places. Always connecting, always expanding. Then the Columbia Pike, Virginia State Route 244, in 1808. Linking the District of Columbia to this little patch of nowhere.
William Garges, the first businessman. A blacksmith. A livery stable. The center of town. How thrilling. He became the first postmaster. The Annandale Post Office opened in 1837. Small farms. Businesses. A church. The Annandale Methodist Chapel, built in 1846. All so very... wholesome.
American Civil War
The American Civil War. Of course, it touched this place. Between 1861 and 1865. Union troops. Confederate forces. Skirmishes. The Methodist Chapel, neglected during the chaos, was dismantled by Union troops for building materials in 1863. Everything crumbles. Everything is repurposed. Nothing is sacred.
After the war, they went back to their farms. Dairy farming. Because that’s what you do when the world burns down. Build it back with milk. Small communities near railroad stations. Stores. Churches. Schools. The slow, tedious process of rebuilding.
20th century
By 1925, Fairfax County was practically swimming in dairy farms. In the 1930s and 1940s, the federal government started creating jobs. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and his New Deal. Then World War II. More growth. Housing developments. Suburbs. Annandale became a "bedroom community". People commuting. Always commuting. To Washington, or other small cities. A cycle that never ends. Work. Home. Sleep. Repeat.
Geography
Annandale. Coordinates: 38°50′3″N 77°12′41″W. It’s traversed by the Capital Beltway (Interstate 495) and Little River Turnpike (Virginia State Route 236). The heart of it all, they say, is where Little River Turnpike, Columbia Pike, and Backlick Road collide. A few miles east of Interstate 495. A nexus of asphalt and ambition.
It borders West Falls Church, Lake Barcroft, Lincolnia, North Springfield, Wakefield, and Woodburn. A geographical cage. The borders are defined by roads: Braddock Road, Interstate 495, Holmes Run, Arlington Boulevard (U.S. Route 50), Sleepy Hollow Road, Columbia Pike, and Little River Turnpike. A maze of concrete and lines.
The total area is 7.86 square miles. All land. No escape. It sits on the coastal plain, just east of the Fall Line. Rolling hills. Stream valleys. Red clay soil. Picturesque, I suppose, if you like that sort of thing.
Accotink Creek cuts through the region. Once a highway for ships carrying tobacco. Now, it’s just a creek. The Springfield Dam, built in 1918, created Lake Accotink. A water source for World War I-era Army Camp A.A. Humphreys, now Fort Belvoir. In 1960, the Fairfax County Park Authority took over. Now it’s a recreation area. Trails for walking, hiking, biking. Fishing. Boat rentals. All very... wholesome.
The Gerry Connolly Cross County Trail runs along Accotink Creek. 20 miles of uninterrupted paths. Through parks and forests. Deer, fox, geese, birds. In spring, trout are stocked. Fishermen wade in the water. Nature, tamed and curated.
Demographics
The population figures. A history of growth, then a sharp decline. From 27,405 in 1970 to 49,524 in 1980. A surge. Then 50,975 in 1990. Steady. Then 54,994 in 2000. A peak. And then, a drastic drop to 41,008 in 2010. Apparently, parts of the CDP were carved off to create Wakefield and Woodburn. A geographical amputation. Then a slight recovery to 43,363 in 2020.
The racial makeup in 2020. 44.7% White. 21.9% Asian. 9.0% Black. 0.8% American Indian. 0.3% Pacific Islander. 18.8% from other races. 4.5% from two or more races. And Hispanics and Latinos of any race? 32.1%. A melting pot. Or perhaps a stew. Annandale is home to a large working-class White community, they say. One of the few remaining areas in Fairfax County where they have a presence. How... poignant.
There were 13,882 households. 31.2% with children. 48.7% married couples. 13.7% female householders. 31.9% non-families. 22.9% individuals. 10.9% living alone, 65 or older. The average household size was 3.09. The average family size was 3.55. Everyone crammed together, sharing space, sharing lives.
The age distribution: 22.0% under 18. 9.7% from 18 to 24. 30.2% from 25 to 44. 25.4% from 45 to 64. 13.8% 65 or older. The median age was 37.3 years. 49.6% male, 50.4% female. A balanced, if unremarkable, demographic.
The median income for a household was 108,079. Per capita income: $40,361. 6.9% of families and 9.8% of the population below the poverty line. 14.6% of those under 18. 9.0% of those 65 or over. The struggle is real, even here.
And the ancestries. Largest groups: 9.5% Salvadoran. 9.0% African-American. 8.9% Vietnamese. 9.1% Bolivian. 6.8% German. 6.2% Korean. 5.8% Irish. 4.8% English. 3.0% Guatemalan. 3.0% Italian. 2.8% Honduran. 2.8% American. 2.7% Arab. 2.4% Filipino. 2.1% Chinese. 1.9% Pakistani. 1.6% Mexican. 1.4% Polish. 1.2% Indian. 1.2% Peruvian. 1.1% Scottish. A mosaic of origins. All converging in this one place.
Economy
Corporate presence. DynCorp and Noblis. They have headquarters here, or at least postal addresses that say so. Ensco used to. Old ghosts of industry.
Koreatown
They call downtown Annandale "Koreatown". By 2006, there were 929 South Korean-owned businesses. 67 restaurants by July 1, 2010. A significant presence. Developed in the 1990s by Korean immigrants. Drawn by the ease of commuting, the quality of schools, even an office of the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority in Seoul. Initially, these businesses catered to expatriates. But over time, they’ve attracted a broader clientele. County officials even encouraged English on the signs, a futile attempt to integrate. Now, multiple generations of Korean-American businesses thrive. They attract a diverse crowd. Karaoke, BBQ, bingsu. A taste of another culture, transplanted and thriving.
Local government
Fairfax County operates under an urban county executive form of government. A Board of Supervisors. A chairman. Annandale falls mostly within the Mason District, with a sliver in the Braddock District. Bureaucracy, in triplicate.
Education
Public schools. Annandale High School, founded in 1954. The main one. Other schools absorb bits of Annandale: Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, Falls Church High School, Woodson High School, and Justice High School. Edgar Allan Poe Middle School. Annandale Terrace Elementary. Braddock Elementary. Belvedere Elementary. Glasgow Middle. Woodburn Elementary. Camelot Elementary. Columbia Elementary. Canterbury Woods Elementary. Wakefield Forest Elementary. A whole system of institutions, churning out the next generation.
Annandale High School has an International Baccalaureate Degree program. Its choral program performs at the Kennedy Center. In Europe. Impressive, I suppose, if you care about such things.
Private schools. Holy Spirit Catholic School. St. Ambrose Catholic School. St. Michael's Catholic School. Grasshopper Green, Kenwood School, Hope Montessori School, Montessori School of Northern Virginia, Oakwood School, Pinecrest School, Westminster School. More institutions. More indoctrination.
Colleges and universities. The oldest and largest branch of the Northern Virginia Community College system is here. Founded in 1965. Known as "NOVA." The Richard J. Ernst Community Cultural Center. A theater, a gymnasium, an art gallery. It opened with 761 students. Now has over 75,000 students and 2,600 faculty and staff. From over 180 countries. A microcosm of the world, condensed. Though the campus itself is technically in the Wakefield CDP. A bureaucratic quirk.
Public services
Fire department. Fairfax County Fire & Rescue. Two stations in Annandale: Station 8 and Station 23. Operated by the Annandale Volunteer Fire Department (AVFD). A partnership. Career personnel. Volunteers. Vehicles bearing the "Annandale Volunteer Fire Department" markings. Saving lives, I suppose. Or at least trying to.
Public libraries. The Fairfax County Public Library operates the George Mason Regional Library. A place for books. For knowledge. Or perhaps just for escaping reality.
Recreational centers. The Audrey Moore RECenter. A 76,000-square-foot indoor pool. A 50m x 25yd pool. Group fitness classes. More ways to stay busy, to stay distracted.
Parks. Scattered throughout. Maintained by the Fairfax County Park Authority. Mason District Park, Turkeycock Run Stream Valley Park, Annandale Community Park, Ossian Hall Park, Kendale Woods Park, Mill Creek Park, Wilburdale Park, Broyhill Crest Park, Larchmont Park, Canterbury Woods Park, Hidden Oaks Nature Center, Pine Ridge High School Site Park, Camelot School Site Park, Oak Hill Park, Backlick Park, Willow Woods Park, Valley Crest Park, Long Branch Falls Park, Manassas Gap Park, Fairfax Hills Park, Masonville Park, Howery Field Park, Poe Terrace Park, Rose Lane Park, Indian Run Stream Valley Park, and Accotink Stream Valley Park. So many parks. So much green space, carefully managed. The Wakefield Skate Park. Skateboarding, BMX. Classes and camps for children. All very… wholesome.
Notable people
Mark Hamill. Actor. Kelly Willis. Country music performer. Dylan Walsh. Actor. Christopher McCandless. The subject of Jon Krakauer's Into the Wild. Fawn Hall. Figure in the Iran-Contra affair. Bill Hamid. Soccer goalkeeper. Jim Acosta. CNN anchor. Attended Annandale High School. A collection of names. Some famous, some infamous. All passing through.
In popular culture
The video game Fallout 3. Annandale appears as "Andale." Inhabited by cannibalistic hillbillies. The "Friendliest Town in the USA." A dark, twisted reflection, perhaps.
In 2016, a YouTube video from 2014 resurfaced. Angelo Mike. He called Annandale a "funnel for the dregs of society." Showed "striking images of filth, ruin, and a dead rat." He meant it to be lighthearted, apparently. But it was criticized for misrepresenting the suburb. Some people just can't handle the truth.
In 2024, residents staged a sit-in in Kendale Woods Park. To stop the Fairfax County Park Authority from renovating courts, making them unsuitable for pickleball. Noise complaints. Pickleball players used chalk to draw lines. The Park Authority offered 16 other courts within a 5-mile radius. A battle for court space. The mundane absurdity of suburban life.
There. Annandale. A census-designated place. A collection of facts, figures, and forgotten histories. Not exactly the stuff of legends. But then, who is?