Springfield, Virginia
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| Springfield, Virginia | |
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| Coordinates: | |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| State | Virginia |
| County | Fairfax |
| Area | |
| - Total | 9.8 sq mi (25.3 km²) |
| - Land | 9.8 sq mi (25.3 km²) |
| - Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.1 km²) |
| Elevation | 246 ft (75 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| - Total | 30,417 |
| - Density | 3,117.9/sq mi (1,203.8/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] |
| Website: http://www.springfield.va.us | |
Springfield is an unincorporated community in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States and is a suburb of Washington, D.C. Within Springfield are three census-designated places (CDPs): Springfield CDP, West Springfield CDP, and North Springfield CDP, plus a substantial portion of Newington CDP. All are officially titled Springfield by the United States Postal Service.
The Springfield CDP is recognized by the U.S. Census Bureau with a population of 30,417 as of the 2000 census.
Contents |
[edit] Geography
Springfield is located at (38.779238, -77.184636).[3]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 9.8 square miles (25.4 km²), of which, 9.8 square miles (25.3 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (0.31%) 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 has four ZIP codes:
- 22150 (often unofficially referred to as "Central Springfield")
- 22151 ("North Springfield")
- 22152 ("West Springfield")
- 22153 (often referred to as "Burkefield" due to its relative proximity to both Burke, Virginia and "Central Springfield")
The following are total area, water area, and land area statistics (in square miles) for the four Springfield zip codes:[4]
| Zip code | Total area | Water area | Land area |
|---|---|---|---|
| 22150 | 8.70 sq mi. | 0.01 sq mi. | 8.70 sq mi. |
| 22151 | 5.28 sq mi. | 0.17 sq mi. | 5.11 sq mi. |
| 22152 | 6.16 sq mi. | 0.00 sq mi. | 6.16 sq mi. |
| 22153 | 8.36 sq mi. | 0.06 sq mi. | 8.30 sq mi. |
| Total | 28.50 sq mi. | 0.24 sq mi. | 28.27 sq mi. |
[edit] History
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 the station was 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 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]
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 of Washington, D.C.[6] 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.[7]
The opening of the Springfield Mall in 1973-1975[8] (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.
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.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 30,417 people, 10,495 households, and 7,472 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 3,117.9 people per square mile (1,203.3/km²). There were 10,832 housing units at an average density of 1,110.3/sq mi (428.5/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 57.77% White, 8.95% African American, 0.30% Native American, 20.55% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 7.75% from other races, and 4.63% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 17.66% of the population.
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.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 23.5% 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 CDP was $69,640, and the median income for a family was $73,903. Males had a median income of $45,679 versus $36,075 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $27,807. About 3.7% of families and 5.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.4% of those under age 18 and 3.8% of those age 65 or over.
The zip code population totals are as follows:
- 22150: 22,208
- 22151: 16,587
- 22152: 28,236
- 22153: 33,177
- Total: 100,208
[edit] Shopping
Springfield's emblematic destination point is Springfield Mall, a large indoor shopping mall. It is typical of American shopping malls in its variety of stores, along with several anchor stores such as Macy's and a food court. This mall's DMV Express office was where two of the hijackers in the September 11, 2001 attacks, Hani Hanjour and Khalid Almihdhar, illegally obtained state identification.[9] The mall also experienced two gang-related stabbings in 2005,[10] and a fatal shooting in December 2007.[citation needed] The mall was recently purchased by Vornado Realty Trust, who are planning massive renovations to revive the mall. It is expected to be renamed the "Springfield Town Center", incorporating retail, specialty restaurants, housing, and office buildings.[11] As of May 2008, many of the stores (including most of the restaurants and the AMC theaters) have closed or relocated in preperation for the upcoming renovations.
[edit] Infrastructure
[edit] Transportation
[edit] Roads
Central Springfield is dominated by the over half-billion dollar Springfield Interchange highway project, which was completed in 2007.[12] Due to its complexity, the interchange is popularly known as the "Mixing Bowl", a name taken from an earlier interchange near the Pentagon. It includes three Interstates (I-95, I-395, and I-495), has two exits less than a half mile away, has two unconnected roads (Commerce Street and Route 644 (Old Keene Mill Road / Franconia Road) going over or under the Interstates less than a half mile away, 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.
[edit] Mass transit
[edit] Rail
- Washington area Metrorail's Blue Line at the Franconia-Springfield station
- Virginia Railway Express commuter rail at the Backlick Road station
- Amtrak (regional service only)
[edit] Bus
[edit] References
- ^ a b American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ US Board on Geographic Names. United States Geological Survey (2007-10-25). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ "Fairfax County Road Map." Virginia Department of Transportation. 2004.
- ^ US Census
- ^ Yearbook, The Historical Society of Fairfax County, Volume 29, 2003-2004, Jack Hiller
- ^ Alexandria, Kingstowne and Springfield Virginia real estate listings, home buying, selling and relocation information - NUMBER1EXPERT(tm)
- ^ Number of Inhabitants, Bureau of the Census 1960 and 1970
- ^ Fairfax County Department of Taxation, DTA Property Search profile
- ^ "Hijackers' helper faces two years max", Timothy P. Carney, Human Events, December 24, 2001
- ^ "Police Make Arrest In Springfield Mall Stabbing Incident", December 1, 2005
- ^ "Vornado Develops Town Center at Springfield Mall", Divaris Real Estate, Inc.
- ^ Springfield Interchange Project
[edit] External links
- Springfield, Virginia is at coordinates Coordinates:
