| Burke, Virginia | |
|---|---|
| — CDP — | |
| Location of Burke in Fairfax County, Virginia | |
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Virginia |
| County | Fairfax |
| Area | |
| • Total | 11.7 sq mi (30.2 km2) |
| • Land | 11.5 sq mi (29.9 km2) |
| • Water | 0.1 sq mi (0.3 km2) |
| Elevation | 256 ft (78 m) |
| Population (July 2007) | |
| • Total | 59,468 |
| • Density | 5,008.0/sq mi (1,933.6/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP codes | 22009, 22015 |
| Area code(s) | 703, 571 |
| FIPS code | 51-11464[1] |
| GNIS feature ID | 1494192[2] |
Burke is a census-designated place (CDP) in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. As of the 2000 census, Burke had a total population of 57,737. As of the 2010 census, it had shrunken to 41,055, mainly because much of it was broken off to form Burke Centre CDP.[3]
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The area of Fairfax County known as Burke is named for Silas Burke (1796–1854), a 19th century farmer, merchant, and local politician who built a house on a hill overlooking the valley of Pohick Creek in approximately 1824. The house is still standing. When the Orange and Alexandria Railroad was constructed in the late 1840s, the railroad station at the base of that hill was named Burke's Station after Burke, who owned the land in the area and donated a right-of-way to the railroad company. The community that grew up around the railroad station acquired a post office branch in 1852. Currently, railroad tracks on the same historical line are owned by the Norfolk Southern Railway and form part of the Manassas line of the Virginia Railway Express commuter rail system, of which two stations lie in the Burke area.
During the American Civil War, the railway station was garrisoned by Union troops. On December 28, 1862, Confederate cavalry under General J.E.B. Stuart raided the station. Stuart seized supplies from the area, destroyed a nearby bridge, monitored Union messages passing over the telegraph lines, and then famously sent a telegram to Union Quartermaster General Montgomery C. Meigs complaining of the poor quality of the mules he had captured.
In 1903, the name of the post office was changed from Burke's Station to "Burke" by Henry C. Copperthite who bought the Burke House and 241 acres to build a racetrack for trotting and pacing horses. Henry was the largest non governmental employer in Washington, DC, and he was the "King of Pie". In 1914 his factory in Georgetown was turning out 50,000 pies a day. He built four hotels, stables, and expanded the general store in Burke. Burke soon became a social hub and it became a summer getaway from the city's heat for people from all walks of life who came to the Copperthite track and to Burke to attend fairs, see horse races, foot races, motorcycle races, exhibition boxing and baseball games. There were special trains that ran from Union Station in DC, Alexandria, Prince William and Loudoun County and as far away as Richmond. Henry installed the first phones in Burke and his stables housed the horses of President McKinley and Vice President Theodore Roosevelt. Produce from his farm was transported to Georgetown where it became part of his famous Connecticut Pies.
The area remained predominantly rural well into the mid-20th century. After World War I, some employees of the Federal Government began moving into the area, and commuted to Washington, D.C. by train.
In 1951, the U.S. Civil Aeronautics Administration announced plans to condemn 4,520 acres (18 km²) of land in Burke to construct a second airport to serve the Washington metropolitan area. After a lengthy lobbying campaign by area residents, the government in 1958 selected a site near Chantilly, Virginia, which is now Washington Dulles International Airport, instead of Burke.
The first large subdivision in the vicinity, Kings Park, was constructed beginning in 1960, and was followed by many others over the next two decades, converting Burke into a densely-populated suburban community.
Burke is located at (38.781480, -77.270750).[4]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the community has a total area of 11.6 square miles (30.2 km²), of which, 11.5 square miles (29.9 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.3 km²) of it (1.03%) is water. Most of the water making up Burke consists of artificial ponds and lakes.
Burke Lake Park is a large recreational park featuring a golf course and a man-made lake, operated by the Fairfax County Park Authority.
| Climate data for Burke | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °F (°C) | 44 (7) |
49 (9) |
58 (14) |
69 (21) |
78 (26) |
85 (29) |
89 (32) |
87 (31) |
81 (27) |
70 (21) |
59 (15) |
48 (9) |
68.1 (20.0) |
| Average low °F (°C) | 24 (−4) |
26 (−3) |
33 (1) |
42 (6) |
52 (11) |
61 (16) |
66 (19) |
65 (18) |
58 (14) |
45 (7) |
36 (2) |
28 (−2) |
44.7 (7.0) |
| Precipitation inches (mm) | 3.48 (88.4) |
3.01 (76.5) |
4.13 (104.9) |
3.54 (89.9) |
4.42 (112.3) |
3.69 (93.7) |
4.26 (108.2) |
3.98 (101.1) |
4.30 (109.2) |
3.48 (88.4) |
3.41 (86.6) |
3.41 (86.6) |
45.11 (1,145.8) |
| Source: Weather.com[5] | |||||||||||||
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1980 | 33,835 |
|
|
| 1990 | 57,734 | 70.6% | |
| 2000 | 57,737 | 0% | |
| 2010 | 41,055 | −28.9% | |
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 57,737 people, 19,215 households, and 15,756 families residing in the community. Burke is the largest community in Virginia recognized by the Census Bureau, other than counties and incorporated cities (although 11 cities and Arlington, Virginia have greater populations). The population density was 5,008.0 people per square mile (1,933.4/km²). There were 19,367 housing units at an average density of 1,679.9/sq mi (648.5/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 74.36% White, 14.66% Asian, 5.04% African American, 3.27% from two or more races, 0.21% Native American, 0.08% Pacific Islander, and 2.37% from other races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.43% of the population.
There were 19,215 households out of which 44.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 70.6% were married couples living together, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.0% were non-families. 13.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 2.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.99 and the average family size was 3.30.
The population distribution by age is 27.9% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 30.6% from 45 to 64, and 5.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 95.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.1 males.
According to a 2007 estimate, the median income for a household in Burke is $113,034, and the median income for a family was $125,905. Males had a median income of $66,149 versus $41,933 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $34,936. About 1.5% of families and 2.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.4% of those under age 18 and 6.0% of those age 65 or over.
Elementary and secondary school students in Burke are served by the Fairfax County Public School System. The elementary schools in Burke are White Oaks, Terra Centre, Fairview and Cherry Run, although students also attend Ravensworth. Burke is home to Lake Braddock Secondary School, though many students within the district attend Robinson Secondary School and West Springfield High School, as well as South County Secondary School.
Fairfax County Public Library operates the Pohick Regional Library, the Burke Centre Library, and the Kings Park Library in the CDP.[6][7]
Burke is served by two Virginia Railway Express stations, Burke Centre (VRE station) and Rolling Road (VRE station), both on the Manassas line. It is also served by the Metrobus (Washington, D.C.) system, via the 18P,R, and S routes, with rush hour only service to the Pentagon and Springfield metro stations.
As well as being served by the Fairfax County Park Authority and the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority there are smaller playgrounds in Burke Centre.
One of the largest developments in Burke is Burke Centre, a 1,700 acre (7 km²) planned community, which is divided into five subcommunities, The Commons, The Landings, The Oaks, The Ponds and The Woods. Other notable communities in the Burke area include Rolling Valley West, Burke Village I & II, Lakepointe, Burke Lake Meadows, Edgewater, Lake Braddock, Signal Hill, Crownleigh, and Cherry Run along with Burke Station Square.